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Africa faces another vaccine apartheid in the fight against monkeypox

Dr. Echey Ijezie
Dr. Echey Ijezie

Even after the novel coronavirus exposed glaring flaws in the world’s collective ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, we are seemingly back to the old ways, as evidenced by the global response to the now endemic monkeypox.

The world may once again lose a chance to control a pandemic.

The zoonotic viral disease, which is already endemic in 10 countries in West and Central Africa, only drew the world's attention after affecting people in rich countries in the Global North. Wealthy countries’ self-destructive unwillingness to cooperate for the benefit of the entire global population is evident again, even after the disruption caused by COVID-19.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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