Four African nations—Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal, and Cameroon—are on the brink of a critical shortage of childhood vaccines for rotavirus, a lethal infection, due to supply disruptions at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), sources revealed.
The World Health Organization has warned that rotavirus, a virulent infection and the primary worldwide cause of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in children under five, results in approximately 200,000 child fatalities annually.
GSK admitted to a deficit of nearly 4 million doses of its Rotarix vaccine this year, with total production falling to 42 million from a projected 46 million. The company had previously reduced its pledged supply by 10 million annually for the 2022-2028 period, as reported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
GSK recognized the shortage and is actively working on mitigation strategies. An anonymous source suggested that staff shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the manufacturing issues and consequent delays in vaccine delivery. However, GSK did not provide additional information about these challenges or its plans to rectify the situation.
The vaccine shortage is particularly detrimental as countries are trying to recover lost ground in routine childhood immunizations due to the coronavirus pandemic. UNICEF described these COVID-19 disruptions as the largest setback in a generation for childhood vaccinations.
Andrew Jones, head of UNICEF's vaccine center, highlighted the severity of the rotavirus shortage in an environment where countries are already facing struggles. He emphasized that several children are at risk of missing their vaccinations due to this situation.
Both UNICEF and Gavi are striving to procure vaccines from other manufacturers or nations with surplus doses. The Rotarix vaccine, administered in two oral doses to infants from 6 weeks of age, with a second dose given at least 4 weeks after the first and no later than 24 weeks, intensifies the urgency for timely vaccinations.
Gavi also mentioned delivery delays with another rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, produced by Bharat Biotech, attributable to "regulatory procedures", although the issue is less critical. Bharat Biotech has yet to respond to these reports.