The Addis Declaration on Immunization: A binding reminder of the political support needed to achieve universal immunization in Africa

Abstract

While African countries have improved access to immunization since the start of the millennium, progress has stagnated in the last few years. One in five African children is not vaccinated with life-saving vaccines, and recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) including yellow fever, measles, and meningitis, among others point to gaps in immunization coverage as well as disease surveillance. In 2017, African Heads of State endorsed the Addis Declaration on Immunization (ADI) at the 28th African Union Summit and committed to ensuring universal access to immunization across the continent. Since then, countries have taken several steps to translate the ADI commitments into tangible progress. However, the continent continues to face challenges in delivering immunization services, including limited vaccine-related funding, inequitable access to immunization services and weak surveillance systems. In the absence of concerted political will, COVID-19 threatens to reverse progress made so far. This paper reflects on the effects of political will in shaping the immunization agenda on the continent and the continued need for political commitment to deliver on the ADI commitments in a post-COVID world. Data were gathered from the regular national immunization reports, WHO/UNICEF estimates of immunization coverage as well as case studies of country implementation on ADI.

Keywords: Addis Declaration on Immunization; Immunization coverage; Political commitment; Vaccination; Vaccine manufacturing.