Infectious diseases

How an essential innovative pharmaceutical became affordable

How the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is working with partners to promote local vaccine production in Africa.

In order to reduce Africa’s dependence on global supply chains, Germany is working with partners to support local vaccine production.

The recent outbreak of mpox in Africa does not only threaten people who live in the affected areas. It is also a test case for assessing whether the international community has learned the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While the fight against many neglected tropical diseases continues to receive too little support, the situation with dengue has changed. One major reason for this is that the disease is now increasingly recognised as a problem in richer countries too.

When it comes to major infectious diseases in the global south, most people inevitably think of the “Big Three”: HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. However, “neglected tropical diseases” (NTDs) also deserve attention.

The Christian Blind Mission (CBM) has been a key supporter in the DRC’s efforts against river blindness. Community outreach has led to significant improvements in medication distribution and treatment rates, but challenges remain.

Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is classified as a neglected tropical disease (NTD) by the World Health Organization (WHO). Almost all people affected by the disease live in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Gaza, the first case of polio after 25 years is a harsh example of what the collapse of healthcare means in times of war. This crisis is human-made, and Israel bears responsibility, as medico international’s Chris Whitman told Hans Dembowski in an inte