(AGENPARL) - Roma, 19 Aprile 2023 - (AGENPARL) – mer 19 aprile 2023 Briefing on Inauguration of mRNA Technology Hub in South Africa
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19 April 2023
MEDIA ADVISORY
Briefing on Inauguration of mRNA Technology Hub in South Africa
What: Media Briefing on the Inauguration of the mRNA technology Hub facility at Afrigen, South Africa.
When: Thursday, 20th April, Cape Town, South Africa, 08.00 local time (in person & via zoom link)
Who: World Health Organization Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, South Africa Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla, high-level officials from funding countries, and international participants.
How tojoin:
Password: VPC+mRNA20
Phone access:
International numbers available: [https://who.zoom.us/u/aeBYypxzf8](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-zkuujil-iitylyihjr-y/)
Why: WHO and the Medicines Patent Pool have established a Technology Transfer Program for mRNA vaccines in South Africa supported by EU, France, Germany, Canada and other local and international partners. Their plan is to build manufacturing capacity in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to produce mRNA vaccines with a view to improve health security in LMICs through local and/or regional production of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as a primary target.
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored that gross inequity exists in access to health products, especially vaccines. As of March 2023, more than three years after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), 69.7% of the global population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Notably, this proportion still remains below 30% in low-income countries.
The launch of the hub at Afrigen in Cape Town is a high-level event with over 200 participants coming together over 5 days. This end-to-end mRNA vaccine development and production facility at Afrigen will be soon be completed and ready for use. It is the first tangible deliverable of the mRNA vaccine technology transfer program.
LINK: [The mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub (who.int)](https://worldhealthorganization.cmail20.com/t/d-l-zkuujil-iitylyihjr-j/)
Media contacts: