(5 June 2017) 90% of investments in medical research benefits 10% of the world’s population. This is the piece of data that started the debate “(Not all) vaccines are sexy. Inequalities between the North and South of the World” that within the Trento Economics Festival (1-4 June), highlight the issue of vaccines from another point of view: that of Africa. Speakers were Stefano Merler, mathematical epidemiologist from the Bruno Kessler Foundation, Giovanni Putoto from Doctors with Africa Association CUAMM and Sara Ferrari, Councillor for University and Research, Youth Policies, Equal Opportunities, and Development Cooperation for the Autonomous Province of Trento. “Doctors with Africa CUAMM was founded in 1950 with the goal to strengthen the health systems of countries involving the local communities. It is clear that working on health in Africa means dealing with inequalities on a daily basis” according to Potuto. The vaccines issue is like a magnifying glass in order to understand the disparities in access to health in different parts of the world: vaccine research is not decided based on needs” continues Putoto. “An example is the international Ebola crisis that alarmed the West and launched numerous studies. The situation on the malaria vaccine, on the other hand, which paradoxically causes many more deaths, is very different. In this case, after many years of pressure, in 2018 the vaccine will finally be introduced in Ghana, Malawi and Kenya thanks to a strong and positive collaboration between the public and private actors. But then, who decides which vaccines to develop? “Public investment diminishes more and more, only 10% of funding for vaccine research come from private funds. That is why it’s important to work hard on the network to govern decisions, mostly in the hands of those who fund research” according to Merler. Ferrari also intervenes on the question: “Health is not just the absence of disease but it is a more generic well-being. It is not only unfair that access to health is not available to everyone but it is a reality that creates general instability. For this reason, the Autonomous Province of Trento devotes 0.25% of the budget to international cooperation measures by law. This means that € 10 million have been allocated to cooperation projects this year not in terms of welfare but of sharing resources and competences. I am convinced that an increasingly strong teamwork and communication between the political class and the scientific community may be a response to many issues which are fundamental to a health work”.
