💉 New funds for making in Africa; The Africa CDC makes some plans; India has a quality problem
#547 | A mystery revealed, and unrevealed; Healthcare making Africans poorer; New hope for malaria?
Hello, and welcome back to The Kable for the very last time this year. We hope you've had an excellent time staying updated with our Friday reads. We will resume publishing on the second Friday of 2025.
This week began with the health ministry of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) saying the mystery illness that has been top of mind over there for the past fortnight is actually malaria. Events later in the week brought some mystery back to the diagnosis though because one person died with haemorrhagic fever symptoms. The Africa CDC, in a media briefing, said that there were two working hypotheses: either severe malaria combined with malnutrition and viral infection, or a viral infection combined with malaria and malnutrition. Safe to say this mystery hasn't been put to bed yet.
Elsewhere in Africa, a CEPI-funded research consortium is establishing a vaccine safety evidence-generation network to study the prevalence of naturally occurring clinical events, such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, within African populations. This region-specific data will enable researchers and regulatory authorities to assess whether adverse events reported during vaccine trials are linked to the vaccine or occur at expected background rates, ensuring informed decisions and building confidence in vaccine safety for African populations.
A new WHO report reveals that out-of-pocket health spending remains a significant challenge in Africa, burdening over 200 million people financially and pushing 150 million into poverty as of 2019. These payments often force families to compromise on basic needs like food and housing, exacerbating health inequities and limiting access to essential care. It's not all bad though: the report also says that the number of people impoverished due to out-of-pocket payments has halved in the two-decade period analysed by the report.
PAHO and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean have partnered to establish a pooled procurement mechanism for public health supplies in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Building on PAHO’s success with Regional Revolving Funds, this initiative aims to improve access to essential medicines and health technologies through equitable, transparent, and collaborative systems. The agreement will enable knowledge sharing, capacity building, and innovation, fostering regional manufacturing and regulatory improvements to benefit Eastern Mediterranean countries.
Elsewhere, Russia announced that it has developed an mRNA-based cancer vaccine, which it hopes to make widely and freely available as early as next year.
A couple of announcements featuring India's Serum Institute. It signed a deal with Bavarian Nordic to make its mpox vaccine in India and a deal with Valneva to make its chikungunya vaccine in India. The agreement for the mpox vaccine is on a profit-sharing basis, ostensibly for supply in the Indian market. However, with Serum's ability and willingness to go where the market beckons, this could morph into a great deal for Africa too. The deal for the chikungunya vaccine will see Serum launch the vaccine in India and other LMICs in Asia.
We couldn't leave you hanging till 2025 without an update on bird flu, now could we? So here it is. France, which has seen a relentless surge of bird flu outbreaks in farms around the country for what feels like forever now, says it is now bird flu-free. In the US, the state of Louisiana reported its first case of bird flu in humans, which promptly became the country's first severe human case. In California, cows continue to fall prey to the infection. So much so that the state has declared an emergency. For the oh-so-bullish contrarians, of whom the US seems to have a large proportion, a new study in Environmental Science & Technology Letters says the virus remains infectious in refrigerated raw milk. So, will 2025 be the year bird flu (pardon the pun) really takes flight? Let's hope not. But if it does, we will be able to detect it soon because Labcorp has launched a new test for bird flu. Yay!
And finally, in what might not be cheerful news for vegans, a new study concludes that plant-based alternatives to cow milk don't offer the same nutritional benefits. The study authors also cautioned that merely transitioning to a plant-based diet won't do much for our health if food continues to be processed the way it currently is.
Stories Of The Week
An African game-changer. In a historic move for Africa’s public health landscape, a $45 million financing package has been announced to expand vaccine production through Senegal’s Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) and its subsidiary, VaxSen. Backed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, and International Finance Corporation, this initiative will strengthen Africa’s vaccine production capacity, enhance local supply chains, and advance the African Union’s Vision 2040 of producing 60% of vaccines locally. This investment in IPD’s state-of-the-art MADIBA facility marks a critical step toward reducing reliance on imports, bolstering pandemic preparedness, and achieving sustainable health systems, driving Africa closer to self-sufficiency and resilience.
(AfDB)
Year-end momentum! The Africa CDC is ending the year as strong as it began. In a couple of posts on its website, the agency highlights how two critical challenges plaguing Africa could be addressed: antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and health supply chain inefficiencies.
AMR is a globally escalating crisis, sure, but in Africa, it is already outpacing deaths caused by HIV-AIDS, TB, and malaria. Limited diagnostics, weak laboratory capacity, and systemic gaps exacerbate the crisis. The Africa CDC has intensified efforts with its Pathogen Genomics Initiative, fostering innovations in surveillance and diagnostics, and training scientists to tackle AMR effectively while also looking at global models for scalable solutions and collaborative action.
The ongoing mpox outbreak, centred in DRC, has once again spotlighted gaps in Africa’s health supply chains, from fragmented policies to heavy reliance on imports. In response, Africa CDC is rethinking logistics—harmonising systems, boosting local manufacturing, and leveraging technology to ensure life-saving supplies reach those in need. Plans include blockchain-enabled tracking, sustainable practices, and regional hubs to strengthen resilience.
(Africa CDC, Africa CDC)
All's not well in the pharmacy of the world. India is a leading global supplier of generic medicines. However, the nation faces significant challenges in maintaining the quality of its pharmaceutical products, as evidenced by the innumerable recalls and regulatory actions, particularly in the United States. The latest evidence? Recalls by Aurobindo, Glenmark and Zydus and a warning for Indoco.
This year, India witnessed a notable increase in drug recalls due to quality failures. Approximately 1,394 batches were withdrawn after failing quality tests, a rise from 950 batches in 2019-20. Additionally, out of 106,150 drug samples tested, 2,988 were deemed substandard, and 282 were identified as spurious or adulterated, leading to over 600 prosecutions.
These incidents continue to highlight systemic issues in India's drug manufacturing sector, raising concerns about the reliability of affordable generic medications. To uphold its reputation as a global pharmaceutical leader, India must enhance regulatory oversight, enforce stringent quality control measures, and foster a culture of compliance within the industry. Will it though? As history is our witness...
(Fierce Pharma, The Economic Times, The Economic Times)
Breakthroughs
Ending malaria might be possible. Malaria remains a significant global health challenge, especially for vulnerable groups like pregnant women, displaced individuals, and children in developing regions. The deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, has become resistant to most medications, complicating treatment efforts. However, researchers have identified a promising new target: a protein called PfNCR1, which the parasite uses to manage cholesterol and maintain its membrane stability. By blocking this protein with a compound, scientists may disrupt the parasite’s survival mechanisms, offering a potential breakthrough in malaria treatment. This discovery could pave the way for drugs that are harder for the parasite to resist, marking an important step in the fight against this perpetually persistent scourge.
(Science Advances)
Bottom line
Air we go again. How do you make sure air quality is not a concern? Don't monitor it. No joke, because according to a new report, more than a third of countries lack government-led air quality monitoring, leaving nearly a billion people oblivious to one of the greatest health risks they face. In regions with the worst pollution, data transparency is patchy at best, with some nations sharing static, unreadable formats like PDFs, which are of little use for actionable research or policies. Even worse, many low-income countries lack the resources or expertise to establish monitoring systems, while war zones face unique challenges as conflict-driven pollution adds to the burden. Meanwhile, air pollution claims over 8 million lives annually, its impact on life expectancy rivaling smoking. Without transparent, accessible data and increased investment in monitoring, billions will continue breathing toxic air, unaware of the silent harm it inflicts daily.
(OpenAQ)
Long reads
An end-of-the-year catalogue. This is that time of the year when publications of all hues put out best-of lists and things to look forward to next year lists and all manners of similar content. If that is what gives you your kicks, this section will have you jumping for joy. First, Devex with a series on what to expect in development next year, and Nature with a recap of profiles of the most impactful people in science this year, and finally, AP with a photo series documenting the effect of climate change around the world in 2024.
(Devex, Nature, AP)
Oh, and Gopal Nair doesn't want you to see this.
And finally, finally: a reminder that we will be on break for the rest of this year. We will be back with a freshly-minted Kable on January 10, 2025. Hope we kept you informed, engaged, and maybe even entertained all year long. We promise more of the same next year too. And here's a prayer for less interesting times next year. We could all use a whole lot of normal.