BRIAN MUNANSANGU | Africa must become self-sufficient and unite in its fight against pandemics

From growing up in Zambia, to being currently a resident in SA, I have witnessed the devastating effects of curable and non-curable diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/Aids first-hand.

I have noticed how new medicines and technologies take time to be introduced to Africa when there is an urgent need to provide medicines and services to African people, especially those in remote, rural areas.

For instance, the response to the severe respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic again emphasised the urgent need for Africa to establish strategies and facilities that can respond to such pandemics, and the need to establish world-class training facilities and research institutes to mitigate the “traditional health challenges” that continue to plague the continent.

Africa needs to learn and re-strategise its position in addressing pandemics – from HIV/Aids, ebola, Covid-19 and now the Mpox pandemic. The idea that a deus ex machina will come and cure all the pandemics in Africa should cease completely and we should begin to develop the infrastructure needed to mitigate the pandemics.

While there is a need to partner with the Global North countries for international solidarity to tackle universal challenges such as climate change, and pandemics, Africa should invest heavily in training and maintaining research institutions that are robust in halting these “traditional health challenges” synonymous with Africa.

What can be seen is the continual hoarding of life-saving vaccines by Global North countries and pharmaceutical companies during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic should have been a moment when the whole of Africa realised the urgent need to improve the existing health facilities and research institutions to address these archaic issues which lead to marginalisation of African countries.

Amid calls for Western countries to release Mpox vaccines, the disparity in vaccine distribution, according to an article published by Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, is already apparent, as countries like Canada have indicated they are not willing to share the vaccine.

Let me remind the so-called developed nations of the statement of Dr Jean Kaseya, the director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), who said: “This is not just an African issue, Mpox is a global threat, a menace that knows no boundaries, no race, no creed. It is a virus that exploits our vulnerabilities, preying on our weakest points. And it is in these moments of vulnerability that we must find our greatest strength and demonstrate that we all learned from Covid-19 by applying solidarity.”

The Africa CDC has reported a requirement of around 10-million vaccine doses to effectively manage the outbreak. However, only about 280,000 doses are accessible. This counts for less than 3% of the expected demand. This discrepancy persists as affluent nations continue to accumulate and withhold vaccinations, refusing to distribute them.

These issues surrounding vaccine distribution reflect the importance of self-determination and self-sufficiency in the science field of countries in the Global South.

In line, with this spirit, SA has several innovative and transformative institutions such as the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), that are spearheading strategic partnerships, both locally and internationally. One example of a beneficial partnership that other African nations can emulate is the amalgamation of the SAMRC and Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health to form what is aptly named the Global Health Innovation Accelerator to overcome the deficiencies and obstacles in the health innovation system in SA and to strengthen the capacity of both organisations to fulfil their objectives.

In response to the crucial need for robust and proactive responses to emergencies an mRNA vaccine hub was built at Afrigen in Cape Town to share technology and technical know-how with local mRNA producers to mitigate the challenges in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The initiative is a consortium consisting of Afrigen Biologics (mandated to establish mRNA vaccine production technology), SAMRC (providing the research) and Biovac (an SA vaccine manufacturer) with support from the WHO, the Medicines Patent Pool and the Act-Accelerator/Covax.

Regarding capacity development in the sector, the immunology field is compartmentalised to medical schools, most of which lack the biomedical facilities or the financial capacity to sustain the existing facilities. According to a publication by Osier and colleagues, it requires decades to train immunologists to improve continent-wide health, and unfortunately, African trainees are disadvantaged by many factors such as lack of quality education, research facilities and funding, international exposure and inspired mentorship.

Because of these challenges, African graduates usually enroll in master’s or PhD programmes to consolidate specialised knowledge and compensate for deficiencies in their prior training.

To help bridge this gap, philanthropic entrepreneurs such as the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation have formed partnerships with the SAMRC to assist master’s and doctoral candidates with full scholarships in biomedical disciplines related to vaccine research and development.

Taking cognisance of the numerous programmes already addressing these challenges in Africa, my plea is for scientists to continue to advocate for reforms that can lead to more funding, and for governments to reduce red tape, especially in times of outbreaks.

Government-to-government cooperation must be strengthened, and funding agencies such as the National Research Foundation, SAMRC and CSIR must foster technology transfer with other international funding agencies.

• Munansangu is a researcher at the SA Medical Research Council’s Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform in Cape Town.