Vaccines are one of the most important tools we have to fight diseases and save lives, particularly when it comes to children, Michael J. Nyenhuis, President & CEO of UNICEF USA and Concordia Leadership Council Member, explained. Over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines have played a pivotal role in health and politics. H.E. José Manuel Barroso, Chair of GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance and Concordia Leadership Council Member, noted that at the beginning of the pandemic, we failed in equity. At first, we had tremendous demand but little access for those in poor- and middle-income countries due to hoarding by rich countries. Now, the problem is flipped: enough supply but less demand.
Part of the issue, according to Dr. Andrew (Drew) Otoo, President for Global Vaccines at Merck and Co., Inc., is a lack of health literacy due in part to disinformation. Nyenhuis noted the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to increase access and equity for COVID vaccines and others.
Moving the discussion to HPV, Barroso explained Rwanda’s successful campaign of education and government efforts to increase uptake of this cancer-preventing vaccine, emphasizing the point that a concerted effort was required to overcome cultural and societal hesitance. Dr. Otoo highlighted Merck’s leadership role and donation of nearly 100 million doses to vaccinate both girls and boys. Promoting vaccines requires cutting through the mis- and dis-information. Barroso put the onus on governments to explain the science and provide clear evidence that vaccines save lives, while Dr. Otoo suggested that industry has an obligation to use partnerships to fight disinformation and understand the link between social media and health science.
“The role of education is very important, because sometimes there are cultural reasons and gender reasons that may inhibit vaccine initiatives.”
H.E. José Manuel Barroso, Chair, GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance; Concordia Leadership Council Member
“We are focused on making sure that every child is healthy, educated, protected, and respected.”
Michael J. Nyenhuis, President & CEO, UNICEF USA; Concordia Leadership Council Member
“One of the things that I think we have all learned is the important link between accessibility and vaccination confidence, and the link between vaccination confidence and health literacy.”
Dr. Andrew (Drew) Otoo, President, Global Vaccines, Merck and Co., Inc.
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