Africa News Archives - EUNews24

COVID Vaccine Supply For Global Programme Outstrips Demand For First Time

David — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 09:51:42 +0000

Read Time:4 Minute, 24 Second

Feb 23 (Reuters) – The global project to share COVID-19 vaccines is struggling to place more than 300 million doses in the latest sign the problem with vaccinating the world is now more about demand than supply.

Last year, wealthy nations snapped most of the available shots to inoculate their own citizens first, meaning less than a third of people in low-income countries have been vaccinated so far compared with more than 70% in richer nations.

As supply and donations have ramped up, however, poorer nations are facing hurdles such as gaps in cold-chain shortage, vaccine hesitancy and a lack of money to support distribution networks, public health officials told Reuters.

In January, COVAX, the global vaccine programme run by Gavi and the World Health Organization (WHO), had 436 million vaccines to allocate to countries, according to a document published in mid-February.

But low-income nations only asked for 100 million doses for distribution by the end of May – the first time in 14 allocation rounds that supply has outstripped demand, the document from the COVAX Independent Allocation of Vaccines Group said.

Asked to comment, a Gavi spokesperson said COVAX was now in a situation where there was enough current supply to meet demand, but acknowledged that the roll-out of vaccines was an issue in several less developed nations.

“We will only close the vaccine equity gap once and for all if we are able to help countries roll out vaccines rapidly and at scale,” the spokesperson said.

Vaccines that are not assigned by COVAX in this round can be allocated again later.

While wealthy countries are opening up their economies, the WHO and other public health experts warn that the slow roll-out of vaccines in poorer regions will give the coronavirus a chance to mutate again and potentially create new variants.

The low demand for vaccines in the January allocation is partly explained by recent increases in supplies. COVAX has already assigned tens of millions of doses to be delivered in the first quarter and delivered its billionth dose in January.

Officials involved in vaccine distribution said that meant countries were reluctant to take on more doses that they would not be able to use. read more

A summit to address distribution challenges is taking place on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria, convened by the African Union’s Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance with WHO, Gavi and others rolling out shots across Africa attending.

There had been hopes that African countries would be able to administer billions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines given their experience in dealing with deadly diseases from Ebola to malaria. read more

But two years into the crisis, a survey seen by Reuters by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in January on the equipment needed to ramp up vaccine distribution highlighted some of the challenges.

It found “critical gaps” across 44 of the African Union’s 55 member states: 24 countries said they needed fridges, 18 were in need of deep freezers, 22 required walk-in freezers and 16 did not have sufficient walk-in cold rooms.

A UNICEF spokesperson said more than 800 ultra-cold chain freezers had already been delivered to nearly 70 countries, as well as 52,000 fridges.

“We are continuing to help countries identify and close cold chain capacity gaps as supply increases and governments adjust national-level vaccination targets in response,” she said.

The problem is particularly acute for COVAX because the Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), shot that needs to be kept super-cold has replaced AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) vaccine as the main one being offered by the global programme.

Some African countries, such as Burundi and Guinea, have gaps at every point in the cold chain, from national level to local distribution centres, the UNICEF survey showed.

The findings are likely to underscore growing concerns that COVAX did not invest quickly enough in infrastructure and equipment for countries it was delivering vaccines to.

The issue is exacerbated by a lack of funding and because countries have not had enough notice of deliveries – particularly donations – making it harder for them to plan vaccination campaigns, public health officials have said.

Officials involved in the distribution of vaccines in Africa also said more focus needed to be placed on communicating the importance of getting vaccinated – and addressing disinformation.

“Communication is one of the biggest issues … if we don’t get the messaging right, everything else we are doing is futile,” one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Money has also started to dry up for global initiatives as richer nations seek to move on from COVID.

Gavi says it has only raised $195 million out of the $5.2 billion it has asked for this quarter. The money is used to procure and ship vaccines, as well as provide syringes and delivery support in countries.

Efforts to distribute tests and therapeutics, such as the new antivirals, are facing similar cashflow issues, according to Philippe Duneton, executive director of Unitaid.

“There is not a lot of money left from what we have received,” he told Reuters, referring to therapeutics particularly.

“There is around $100 million, but we need more to make access to these drugs, including access to tests, in a way that is affordable for the international community.”

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Malawi Finds Africa’s First wild Polio Case In Five Years

David — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 15:45:15 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 28 Second

Malawi has declared a wild polio outbreak after a case was identified in a three-year-old girl – the first of its kind in Africa for more than five years.

The continent was declared free of all forms of wild polio in 2020.

The Malawian authorities are now working to contain any possible spread including by boosting immunisation.

Wild polio remains endemic in only two countries in the world – Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The strain that was identified in Malawi was linked to one found in Pakistan, but it is not clear how or when it arrived in the southern African country.

The case was confirmed after tests were carried out on samples from the infected child who was suffering from paralysis, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Polio usually affects children under five, sometimes leading to irreversible paralysis. Death can occur when breathing muscles are affected.

Twenty-five years ago thousands of children in Africa were paralysed by the virus. But following a mass vaccination campaign across the continent 95% of the population has been immunised.

There is no cure but the polio vaccine protects children for life.

As the case came from Pakistan, it does not affect the continent’s wild poliovirus-free status, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

Wild polio is caught from the environment, but there is another type of polio linked to the oral vaccine (which contains live, weakened virus) that is equally worrying.

It can linger in the gut, mutate and spread in areas where few people are vaccinated. There have been outbreaks of this form of polio in more than 20 African countries in recent years.

But an injectable form of the vaccine is now used, containing dead virus, which does not lead to polio cases.

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Mali Conflict: Macron Announces Troops To Leave After Nine Years

David — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 09:25:27 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 39 Second

France and its allies in an international force will withdraw their troops from Mali after almost a decade, President Emmanuel Macron has said.

The troops have been involved in the fight against Islamist militants in the country.

The forces will be re-deployed across Africa’s Sahel region.

Mr Macron said the decision to leave followed a breakdown in diplomatic relations, amid growing hostility from Mali’s new governing military junta.

“We cannot remain militarily involved” alongside Malian authorities with whom “we don’t share the strategy and goals”, he told a news conference in Paris on Thursday.

Mr Macron refuted claims that the withdrawal was an acceptance of failure and insisted that France remains committed to combating Islamic insurgencies in the region, adding that Niger had agreed to host some of the withdrawing forces.

“France has played a unifying role in this international mobilisation in favour of the Sahel”, he said. “We will continue to ensure this unifying role.”

The move followed a meeting of EU and African leaders at the Elysee palace.

In a statement released on Thursday morning, countries involved in the French-led Tabuka Taskforce agreed to set out plans on how to remain in the region, notably Niger and the Gulf of Guinea countries, by June 2022.

“In close coordination with the neighbouring states, they also expressed their desire to remain engaged in the region, in accordance with their respective constitutional procedures” the statement said.

The decision will have major security implications for a number of countries involved in the mission.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara warned that the withdrawal of the forces created “a vacuum” that would increase the burden on regional governments.

“We will be obliged to increase our defence forces and increase the protection of our borders,” Mr Ouattara said.

But Senegalese President Macky Sall said that he understood why France had decided to pull its troops out of Mali, and that he was assured the fight against Islamist militants in the Sahel would continue.

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Gunfire, Explosions Rock Somalian Capital In Militant Attacks

David — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 06:45:53 +0000

Read Time:35 Second

MOGADISHU, Feb 16 (Reuters) – Gunfire and explosions went off in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu in the early hours of Wednesday as al Shabaab militants attacked police stations and security check points, the internal security minister said.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab, which aims to topple the central government and impose its severe interpretation of Islamic law, carries out frequent attacks against the government, including attacking a minibus carrying election delegates last week. read more

“The terrorists attacked the suburbs of Mogadishu and targeted our police stations and check points,” Abdullahi Nor, the minister, wrote on Twitter.

“Our security defeated the enemy.”

There were no immediate details on casualties. Police would provide more details on the attacks, the minister said.

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S.Africa’s Health Regulator Registers Sinopharm COVID Vaccine

David — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 08:34:33 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 10 Second

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 7 (Reuters) – The South African health regulator said on Monday it has registered Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Sinopharm, effectively clearing the way for its use in the country.

South Africa, which is the worst-hit country in Africa both in terms of COVID-19 fatalities and caseload, has relied mainly on Pfizer and J&J vaccine (JNJ.N) doses as its inoculation mainstay as the country prepares for a potential fifth wave. read more

“This authorisation is based on acceptable safety, quality and efficacy data submitted by MC Pharma,” South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) said in a statement.

MC Pharma is a Beijing-based company that manufactures Sinopharm vaccine, the regulator said.

China’s two most widely used COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Sinovac (SVA.O) and Sinopharm, were shown to be effective against the Delta variant of the coronavirus, a study based on real-world data in the country showed in February.

SAHPRA said their authorisation for the vaccine, to be used on people 18 years and above, was based on data submitted by the company in the latter half of last year.

However, the authorisation was subject to several conditions, including that the vaccine supplied and administered as two injection shots, must be subject to periodic safety reviews.

The South African government has not officially announced a supply deal or procurement of shipments of Sinopharm as yet.

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Cyclone Batsirai: Madagascar Braced For Second Storm In Weeks

David — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 11:04:17 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 53 Second

Madagascar is braced for a second cyclone to hit less than two weeks after Storm Ana caused widespread destruction, killing dozens of people.

Local officials fear that landslides and flooding could leave tens of thousands of people homeless.

Some schools were closed on Friday so they could be converted into shelters.

“We are very nervous,” said Pasqualina Di Sirio, who heads the WFP’s programme on the Indian Ocean island.

The WFP (UN World Food Programme) has prepared food stocks to distribute to those in need, while some people have already been evacuated, she said.

On Friday, residents of the capital, Antananarivo, were trying to reinforce their homes by putting bricks on their roofs to stop them blowing away.

“I’m really scared because it is said that the cyclone will be very strong,” one man, Nivo, told Reuters news agency. “They say on TV that the winds will blow away people.”

With wind speeds of up 200 km/h (125 mph), experts fear that Cyclone Batsirai could be even more powerful than Storm Ana, which also hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Rainfall of 30cm (12 inches) is forecast on Saturday, raising the spectre of flash floods as the ground is already saturated, while the cyclone could also cause waves of 15 metres (50 feet).

Environment Minister Vahinala Raharinirina told the BBC that it could be the worst cyclone to hit the island for 17 years, affecting some 600,000 people in total.

The WFP says the recent pattern of destructive storms caused by global warming and climate change has caused loss of harvest, high food prices and increased food insecurity in the region.

“The people of Southern Africa have been on the front lines of climate extremes for many years now and each passing storm sets them back, resetting the progress made,” said senior WFP official Margaret Malu.

Experts say that extreme weather events like cyclones will become more frequent because of climate change.

Madagascar is also just recovering from the effects of an extreme drought, which was also blamed on global warming.

Ms Raharinirina said that the country had submitted a plan to the COP26 climate conference, which showed it needed $1bn (£740m) a year to adapt to the effects of climate change.

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Rayan: Moroccan Rescuers Inch Nearer To Boy Stuck In Well For Days

David — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 10:42:14 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 58 Second

Rescuers who are desperately trying to reach a five-year-old boy who fell into a deep well in Morocco are entering the final stages of their operation.

They worked through the night to reach the boy, named by local media as Rayan, who plunged 32m (104ft) through the well’s narrow opening four days ago.

The complex operation has gripped the North African country for days, and thousands have gathered at the scene.

Fears of a landslide have made the rescue operation more dangerous.

That risk combined with the mixture of rocky and sandy soils has meant rescuers deem opening the water well’s narrow shaft to be too dangerous.

Instead, bulldozers have been used to cut a huge trench next to the well and authorities say they are “almost there”.

Once the trench reaches the same depth as the well, rescuers can start digging horizontally to reach the boy.

“We’re almost there,” said one of the operation’s leaders, Abdesalam Makoudi, on Friday afternoon. “We’ve been working non-stop for three days and tiredness is kicking in, but the whole rescue team is hanging on.”

Led by Morocco’s Civil Protection Directorate, rescue operations in the small northern town of Tamorot, around 100km (62 miles) from the city of Chefchaouen, have been ongoing since Tuesday evening.

The roads around the town are lined with cars and buses, while thousands have cheered rescuers at the site.

‘I haven’t slept a wink’

Rayan’s father was repairing the well at the time of the accident, and has said he and Rayan’s mother were “devastated and very worried”.

“In that one moment I took my eyes off him, the little one fell into the well. I haven’t slept a wink”, he told news site le360 on Wednesday.

Speaking to Moroccan media with tears in her eyes, Rayan’s mother said: “The whole family went out to look for him. Then we realised that he’d fallen down the well. I’m still keeping up hope that we’ll get him out alive.”

Footage on Thursday from a camera lowered into the well showed that the boy was alive and conscious, although he appeared to be suffering from some minor head injuries.

Rescue workers have lowered an oxygen mask, food and water into the well and a medical team is also on site, ready to treat the boy. A helicopter has also arrived at the scene to take him to hospital once he has been freed from the well.

On Moroccan social media, the #SaveRayan has been trending across the country as thousands of people have followed updates from local media and onlookers at the scene.

Mohamed Yassin El Quahabi, president of the Chefchaouen Association of Caving and Mountain Activities, has been helping with the rescue and he told the BBC that the narrowness of the well had hampered rescue efforts.

He added that several attempts by local volunteers and rescue workers to gain access through the well’s opening have already failed.

“The problem of this rescue is that the hole diameter is very, very small, about 25cm (9.8 inches),” Mr El Quahabi said. “At the depth of 28 metres it became smaller so we couldn’t reach him.”

One of the rescue team explained: “The closer we get, the hole gets narrow and hard to pass through – which makes it very hard to save the child through volunteers. That’s why we had to come up with another technique – which is digging.”

But authorities remain concerned that any interference with the well could accidentally hurt the five-year-old by triggering a landslide.

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Pakistani Military Conduct Search For Militants 38 Hours After Base Attacks

David — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 13:19:47 +0000

Read Time:1 Minute, 37 Second

KARACHI, Pakistan, Feb 4 (Reuters) – Pakistani security forces were conducting search operations on Friday to flush out militants suspected of hiding near two military bases attacked by insurgents on Wednesday, which killed seven soldiers and 13 of their own, in the latest violence in the southwestern Balochistan province.

The attacks, the biggest in recent years by ethnic Baloch insurgents, came hours before Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrived in Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics, where he will have meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders. L1N2UE09S

Two Pakistani security officials, requesting anonymity as they are not permitted to speak publicly, said the operation was not yet over.

“The army is conducting search operations in the area. There might be some more elements hiding in the surroundings,” one official told Reuters.

The army said the attacks were simultaneous and coordinated.

“They used explosive-laden vehicles at gates, they have the latest weaponry left behind by NATO forces,” Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, Minister of Interior said on Friday, adding that the attack was defeated and both bases were under the control of the Pakistani military.

Ethnic Baloch guerrillas have been fighting the government for decades, demanding a separate state, saying the central government unfairly exploits Balochistan’s rich gas and mineral resources.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group said it was behind the attacks in a statement sent to a Reuters reporter, adding that one of the two bases was still under its control after 38 hours. This could not immediately be verified independently.

Last week, the insurgents killed 10 soldiers in an attack on a post near the port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea, the heaviest casualty toll for the army in the Balochistan insurgency in years.

Islamabad blames arch-rival India for supporting the insurgency, a charge Delhi denies, and says such anti-Pakistan groups often use neighbouring Afghanistan to plan attacks – a charge denied by Taliban government spokesman Bilal Karimi.

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Rayan: Morocco Well Rescue For Five-Year-Old Grips Nation

David — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 13:06:13 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 45 Second

Rescuers are still desperately trying to reach a five-year-old boy who fell into a well near the Moroccan city of Chefchaouen on Tuesday.

The boy, named by local media as Rayan, was reportedly playing near the well in the northern town of Tamorot, 100km (62 miles) from Chefchaouen.

He is believed to have fallen about 32m (104ft) through a narrow opening.

After days of digging there are just three metres to go, but soil erosion could make this step the trickiest.

So as a precaution, a parallel shaft is being dug next to the well to reach Rayan and “protect the rescuers from any collapse, especially [because] the area is know for its fragile, muddy soil,” the state-affiliated 2M website reports.

Rescue operations, led by Morocco’s Civil Protection Directorate, have been ongoing since Tuesday evening, even going through the night.

“The child’s rescue is approaching,” government spokesman Mustapha Baitas said on Thursday evening. “Our hearts are with the family, and we are praying that he will back with them as soon as possible.”

Despite suffering a significant fall, footage from a camera lowered into the well showed that the boy remains alive and conscious, though he appeared to be suffering from some minor head injuries.

Thousands of people have been watching footage of the rescue on social media, and a large group of onlookers has gathered at the scene.

Algerian football star Riyad Mahrez has also posted a message of support, urging Rayan to “stay strong”.

Local media reported that provincial authorities are overseeing rescue attempts and that dozens of police, auxiliary forces, Royal Gendarmerie and civil protection officers are now involved in the operation.

Mohamed Yassin El Quahabi, president of the Chefchaouen Association of Caving and Mountain Activities, has been helping with the rescue and told the BBC that the narrowness of the well had hampered rescue efforts.

He added that several attempts by local volunteers and rescue workers to gain access through the well’s opening have already failed.

One of the rescue team explained “the closer we get, the hole gets narrow and hard to pass through – which makes it very hard to save the child through volunteers. That’s why we had to come up with another technique – which is digging.”

Pictures from the scene show five bulldozers digging a large area parallel to the well’s outer shaft to try and work around the narrow structure.

Mr El Quahabi told the BBC that this was now the only way rescue workers will be able to reach Rayan.

But authorities remain concerned that any interference with the well could accidentally hurt the five-year-old by triggering a landslide.

The Arabic hashtag #SaveRayan has been trending across the region, including in neighbouring Algeria, despite the two countries’ poor relations.

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Morocco Well Rescue For Five Year Old Grips Nation

David — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 18:06:03 +0000

Read Time:2 Minute, 0 Second

Morocco has been gripped by efforts to save a child who fell into a water well near the northern city of Chefchaouen.

The child, who local media have identified as a five-year-old boy named Rayan, was reportedly playing near the well in the town of Tamrout, 100km (62 miles) from Chefchaouen.

Rayan is believed to have fallen about 32m (104ft) through a narrow opening.

Rescue operations, led by Morocco’s Civil Protection Directorate, have been ongoing since Tuesday evening.

Despite suffering a significant fall, footage from a camera lowered into the well showed that the boy remains alive and conscious, though he appeared to be suffering from some minor head injuries.

Rescue workers have lowered an oxygen mask, food and water into the well and a medical team is also on site, ready to treat the boy. A helicopter has also arrived at the scene to bring him to hospital once he has been extracted from the well.

Thousands of people have been watching footage of the rescue on social media, and a large group of onlookers have gathered at the scene.

He added that several attempts by local volunteers and rescue workers to gain access through the well’s opening have already failed.

Pictures from the scene show five bulldozers digging a large area parallel to the well’s outer shaft to try and work around the narrow structure.

By Thursday afternoon officials told the local media outlet, Le360, that that rescue workers had less than nine metres (30ft) left to dig to reach the boy.

Mr El Quahabi told the BBC that this is now the only way rescue workers will be able to reach Rayan.

But authorities remain concerned that any interference with the well could accidentally hurt the five-year-old by triggering a landslide.

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