How Will We Ensure the New Ebola Vaccine Reaches Those Most in Need?

HUFFINGTON POST  by Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development Group, Bureau of Policy and Programme Support      Aug. 10, 2015                                                                 

While scientists still need to figure out how long the protective effect of the vaccine lasts, and how effective it will be among the general population and with different strains of the virus, without a doubt this is an important tool for the protection of health and community workers and possibly the wider community. This will certainly help in the on-going efforts to achieve the target of zero new Ebola cases and in overall recovery efforts.

But how will this new tool be used? How will it reach those in need? Rapid availability of the vaccine is key and as with all health technologies, access to and delivery of the drug will depend on the capacity of the very health systems that have been decimated by Ebola. Researchers tell us that this particular vaccine has to be kept at -80 degrees Celsius. How will this be done in tropical climates...?

Science can provide much needed solutions. But without the right systems in place, the solutions will not reach those in need. Unfortunately health systems in many places are chronically weak. The response to HIV has shown us that investments in building national and local capacities and systems for health that reach beyond Ministries of Health can yield incredible dividends for individuals and communities.

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