04:51Professor Paul Tambyah, President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), emphasised the critical importance of global vaccine equity during an interview in Singapore on Wednesday, stating that "no one is safe until everyone is safe."
"It doesn’t matter if vaccines are abundant in high-income countries, true safety is only achieved when everyone has equitable access to vaccines," Tambyah said.
He pointed to the stark contrast in Mpox outcomes between high-income countries and nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "The DR Congo has more than 16,000 cases [and] 500 deaths, and that's certainly an underestimate, versus the high-income countries, where they really have very few deaths, and these deaths have been in people who are very severely immunocompromised. So, unfortunately, it is a two-tier situation," he added.
Tambyah also discussed Singapore's approach to managing Mpox cases, highlighting the significance of post-exposure vaccination. He provided context on the disease's history in Africa and its global spread.
His remarks follow the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's announcement that Mpox has been detected in 13 countries, with the DRC accounting for 96 per cent of cases and deaths. The organisation documented over 14,000 cases and 524 fatalities in the DRC this year, with 38,465 cases reported across Africa since January 2022.
'No one is safe until everyone is safe' - ISID President urges global vaccine equity amid Mpox outbreak, cites stark disparities
Professor Paul Tambyah, President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), emphasised the critical importance of global vaccine equity during an interview in Singapore on Wednesday, stating that "no one is safe until everyone is safe."
"It doesn’t matter if vaccines are abundant in high-income countries, true safety is only achieved when everyone has equitable access to vaccines," Tambyah said.
He pointed to the stark contrast in Mpox outcomes between high-income countries and nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "The DR Congo has more than 16,000 cases [and] 500 deaths, and that's certainly an underestimate, versus the high-income countries, where they really have very few deaths, and these deaths have been in people who are very severely immunocompromised. So, unfortunately, it is a two-tier situation," he added.
Tambyah also discussed Singapore's approach to managing Mpox cases, highlighting the significance of post-exposure vaccination. He provided context on the disease's history in Africa and its global spread.
His remarks follow the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's announcement that Mpox has been detected in 13 countries, with the DRC accounting for 96 per cent of cases and deaths. The organisation documented over 14,000 cases and 524 fatalities in the DRC this year, with 38,465 cases reported across Africa since January 2022.
Professor Paul Tambyah, President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID), emphasised the critical importance of global vaccine equity during an interview in Singapore on Wednesday, stating that "no one is safe until everyone is safe."
"It doesn’t matter if vaccines are abundant in high-income countries, true safety is only achieved when everyone has equitable access to vaccines," Tambyah said.
He pointed to the stark contrast in Mpox outcomes between high-income countries and nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "The DR Congo has more than 16,000 cases [and] 500 deaths, and that's certainly an underestimate, versus the high-income countries, where they really have very few deaths, and these deaths have been in people who are very severely immunocompromised. So, unfortunately, it is a two-tier situation," he added.
Tambyah also discussed Singapore's approach to managing Mpox cases, highlighting the significance of post-exposure vaccination. He provided context on the disease's history in Africa and its global spread.
His remarks follow the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's announcement that Mpox has been detected in 13 countries, with the DRC accounting for 96 per cent of cases and deaths. The organisation documented over 14,000 cases and 524 fatalities in the DRC this year, with 38,465 cases reported across Africa since January 2022.