Equitable Vaccine Access and Pandemic Preparedness in Africa

The unequal distribution of healthcare resources, especially evident in the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted profound global and regional inequities in accessing life-saving vaccines. In Africa, the scarcity, uneven availability, inequitable access and low uptake of vaccines, notably during the COVID-19 crisis, were largely due to limited local production capacities, a heavy dependency on global supply chains, financial barriers and hesitancy ensuing from misinformation and disinformation. This Research Topic aims to critically examine how equitable access to vaccines can be achieved across Africa by addressing structural, economic, social, cultural, and political factors that impede vaccine equity.

This Research Topic seeks to glean lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to inform future strategies for pandemic preparedness, ensuring that vaccine delivery systems are both robust and fair. It focuses on deciphering complex barriers to equitable vaccine access and provides a framework for strengthening health systems to be more responsive in times of global health crises. Special emphasis is placed on actionable insights and sustainable strategies that can be implemented by African governments and health stakeholders to foster greater equity in vaccine distribution.

The scope of this Research Topic is centered on vaccine access in African countries, including multi-country research, country level research and provincial, district, facility-based or household level research. By exploring these diverse contexts, we aim to develop a more nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities in vaccine distribution across the continent.

Contributions to this Research Topic are encouraged to focus on various pertinent themes such as:
o Effective vaccine distribution mechanisms and policies
o Trends and disparities in vaccine uptake
o Barriers to vaccine access and acceptance
o The impact of socioeconomic factors on vaccine availability
o Enhancing vaccine research and development (R&D) and manufacturing
o Lessons learned from COVID-19 on equitable access to vaccines

By addressing these themes, this research can contribute significantly to the ongoing efforts in ensuring equitable health outcomes during public health emergencies and beyond.

Keywords: Access, Barriers, COVID-19, Equity, Hesitancy, Vaccines Acceptance, Vaccine Uptake

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.