Life-saving yellow fever vaccine approved for introduction into Ethiopia’s routine immunization programme

Addis Ababa, 2024: Ethiopia has approved the inclusion of yellow fever vaccine into the country’s routine immunization schedule after a meeting of the Immunization Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) of Ethiopia on 19 January 2024.  

This landmark decision is a major part of Ethiopia’s efforts to implement the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy that aims to protect almost 1 billion people against this deadly disease and eliminate its epidemics by the end of 2026. The Strategy is led by the World Health Organization (WHO), The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and involves 40 countries and more than 50 partners. 
Dr. Nonhlanhla Dlamini, Acting WHO representative for Ethiopia said, “The approval to introduce yellow fever vaccine in Ethiopia is a significant breakthrough to ensure availability of vaccines for the people of the country and protect populations at risk, as Ethiopia is among the 27 countries identified from Africa as high risk for yellow fever transmission”. 

Dr. Dlamini added, “WHO is coordinating the effort and supporting the government by engaging multidisciplinary partners to extend their support with the resource required for smooth integration of yellow fever vaccine into their routine immunization schedule.” 

This decision is a crucial step to request financial support from Gavi to introduce yellow fever in the routine. Around USD $25 million over five years are needed to procure vaccines and other essential supplies. Ethiopia is committed to co-finance a portion of the cost, averaging around USD $1 million a year.  
Additionally, Gavi is providing support for the acquisition of vaccines and other supplies to implement preventive mass vaccination campaigns targeting over 115 million people over five years at an operational cost of $0.65 per person. 

“The recent rise in disease outbreaks and the risks they present are why Ethiopia endorsing the introduction of the yellow fever vaccine into its routine immunization programme is so important.” said Thabani Maphosa, the Managing Director, Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “We commend the continued commitment of the Government of Ethiopia and will work with all partners to support this vital programme, which will save many lives.”
 
This year, the EYE Strategy will host its 7th Annual Partners’ Meeting in Addis Ababa from 19 to 21 March and provides an opportunity for Ethiopia to gain insights from countries that have already introduced yellow fever vaccine into their routine immunization schedules, and that have conducted preventive vaccination campaigns.  
H.E. Dr Dereje Duguma, State Minister of Health said, “Hosting this EYE Partners’ meeting immediately after the country’s significant decision allows us to learn from the experiences of other countries and seek support from EYE partners to effectively implement the EYE Strategy within our nation.” 

Yellow fever is a viral disease transmitted between humans by the bites of mosquitoes. There is no specific treatment for yellow fever, which has a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) as high as 31-47% for those who develop severe forms of the disease. A single dose of yellow fever vaccine provides life-long protection. 
The Ethiopian population is among the 440 million people at risk located in the ‘yellow fever belt’ that lies at the Equator and spans 34 African countries. All parts of Ethiopia are at risk of yellow fever.  

WHO estimates that 2.2 million cases and 30,000 deaths from yellow fever occur annually and 90% of these are reported in Africa. Between 1959 and 2020, Ethiopia reported 117,484 cases and 30,595 deaths with a 26% CFR. Routine immunization is considered the sustainable long-term approach to maintaining high levels of population immunity. 

To join this year’s EYE Strategy Annual Partners’ Meeting as an online participant, click here. tinyurl.com/EYEAPM2024