Join us for an in person event in New York City on the sidelines of UNGA 77 where Devex in partnership with Sabin Vaccine Institute will unpack the complexities around vaccine acceptance and demand.
Twenty five million children did not receive life saving vaccines in 2021. This declining trend of vaccinations, seen in every region of the world, is hitting low- and middle-income countries — where communities in vulnerable settings are most at risk of preventable but devastating diseases — the hardest. It’s clear that swift action is needed to reverse the steep fall in routine childhood immunization rates to avert another global health crisis.
COVID-19 has revealed and exacerbated underlying vaccine inequities across the world. Yet the most recent pandemic has also emphasized the power of immunization as the world embarked on the largest vaccine rollout in history.
So why then are routine immunization rates facing the largest sustained decline in 30 years? Register to be a part of the discussion.
In this event covering COVID-19 vaccinations and routine childhood immunizations, we will explore:
• What the barriers are to restoring and sustaining high acceptance and demand for both COVID-19 vaccines and routine immunizations in LMICs.
• How misinformation and limited health services are particularly holding back progress for equitable vaccine access and demand.
• Which pioneering practices from LMICs we can build on to drive high vaccination rates through community engagement.
Join us in person in New York City to be a part of how communities and professionals can be supported to increase vaccine coverage across the world.
High-level interview: What’s at stake, and the price of inaction
Speakers: Dr. Ayoade Alakija, special envoy and co-chair to the WHO’s ACT Accelerator and co-chair of the African Union’s African Vaccine Delivery Alliance
Interviewed by: Raj Kumar, President & Editor-in-Chief, Devex
Panel: Lessons learned from communities — barriers to equitable vaccine access and demand
Speakers:
• Esther Nakkazi, science journalist, media trainer, and founder of Health Journalists Network
• Rashid Mang'anda, nursing officer and maternal child health program coordinator, Phalombe District Health Office
• Dr. Furaha Kyesi, head of service delivery and introduction of new vaccine section, immunization program, Tanzania's Ministry of Health
Interviewed by: Raj Kumar, President & Editor-in-Chief, Devex
Fireside chat: Understanding the complexities of vaccine demand in LMICs – challenging misinformation
Speakers:
• Dr. Anant Bhan, mentor and principal investigator at Sangath
• Stacey Knobler, vice president for vaccine innovation & global immunization, Sabin Vaccine Institute
Interviewed by: Raj Kumar, President & Editor-in-Chief, Devex
Panel: How to build and sustain vaccine demand with and for communities
Speakers:
• Dr. Atul Gawande, assistant administrator of global health, USAID
• Dr. Aamer Ikram, executive director, Pakistan National Institutes of Health
• Dr. Kate O'Brien, Department of immunization, vaccines, and biologicals director, WHO
Interviewed by: Catherine Cheney, Senior Reporter, Devex
Q&A
Hosted by: Raj Kumar, President & Editor-in-Chief, Devex
William Asiko, vice president, Africa Regional Office of The Rockefeller Foundation