{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,12]],"date-time":"2026-04-12T06:26:06Z","timestamp":1775975166526,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,19]],"date-time":"2025-06-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750291200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The 8th meeting of the African Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (AACVS), constituted in 2021, convened by the Vaccine Research and Innovation Unit within the Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program, WHO Regional Office for Africa, was held virtually from 14 to 16 April 2025. The meeting brought together independent vaccine experts to provide advice to the Regional Director, WHO, on vaccine safety issues critical to the African region. Discussions focused on critical updates regarding ongoing regional outbreaks, safety data, and associated safety concerns, with emphasis on newly introduced vaccines, including the malaria vaccines (RTS, S and R21), the MenFive pentavalent meningitis vaccine, and the Mpox vaccines\u2014MVA-BN and LC16\u2014alongside the ongoing Mpox response. The Committee conducted a deep dive into comprehensive safety considerations for new vaccine introduction, active surveillance strategies, strengthening the responsiveness of pharmacovigilance systems, and advancing vaccine research and development in Africa. Key observations highlighted significant gaps in safety surveillance systems. These included delays in data collection, access, and signal detection; a lack of harmonized real-time monitoring frameworks; the underutilization of digital technologies; and inadequate manufacturer responsibilities and accountability in post-market safety monitoring. The meeting concluded with a call to action emphasizing the need for sustainable pharmacovigilance funding mechanisms, improved regional coordination, real-time data sharing, standardized early safety study protocols, strengthened manufacturer accountability, and investments in risk communication and community engagement to bolster public trust. Strengthening vaccine safety systems and enhancing regional collaboration were recognized as urgent priorities to support the safe and effective deployment of vaccines and protect public health across Africa.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines13060661","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,20]],"date-time":"2025-06-20T03:05:27Z","timestamp":1750388727000},"page":"661","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Strengthening Vaccine Safety Systems, Research, and Regional Collaboration in Africa: A Call to Action"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3590-2691","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Beckie N.","family":"Tagbo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Africa Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"},{"name":"Institute of Molecular Medicine & Infectious Disease, Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Ituku-Ozalla Campus, Enugu 402109, Nigeria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7665-0278","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chioma S.","family":"Ejekam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccine Preventable Disease, Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Non-Communicable Disease Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Winfred","family":"Oppong-Amoako","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Africa Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2640-1318","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tene Marceline","family":"Yameogo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Africa Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"},{"name":"INSSA, Universit\u00e9 Nazi Boni de Bobo-Dioulasso, Bobo-Dioulasso 1091, Burkina Faso"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Afework","family":"Mitiku","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Africa Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Dorothy O.","family":"Esangbedo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Africa Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nelisiwe","family":"Khuzwayo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Africa Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"},{"name":"The Discipline of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health Medicine, Howard College Campus, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gugu","family":"Mahlangu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Africa Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Samia M.","family":"Badar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccine Preventable Disease, Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Non-Communicable Disease Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-7056-8991","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edinam A.","family":"Agbenu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccine Preventable Disease, Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Non-Communicable Disease Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rhanda M.","family":"Adechina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccine Preventable Disease, Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Non-Communicable Disease Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kwasi A.","family":"Nyarko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccine Preventable Disease, Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Non-Communicable Disease Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville P.O. Box 06, Congo"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"(2025, April 20). Vaccines and Immunization. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/vaccines-and-immunization#tab=tab_1."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Immunization Agenda 2030 Partners (2024). Immunization Agenda 2030: A global Strategy to Leave no One Behind. Vaccine, 42, S5\u2013S14. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/docs\/default-source\/immunization\/strategy\/ia2030\/ia2030-document-en.pdf.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2022.11.042"},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"(2021). COVID-19 Vaccines: Safety Surveillance Manual, World Health Organization. [2nd ed.]. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240032781."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"(2025, April 20). World Economic Forum: Why Building Trust in Vaccines Is Good for Protecting Public Health. Available online: https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/stories\/2021\/05\/build-trust-vaccines-protect-public-health\/."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) (2012). Communication on Immunization\u2014Building Trust, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Available online: https:\/\/www.ecdc.europa.eu\/sites\/default\/files\/media\/en\/publications\/Publications\/TER-Immunisation-and-trust.pdf."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106727","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ypmed.2021.106727","article-title":"The role of trust in the likelihood of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine: Results from a national survey","volume":"153","author":"Szilagyi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Prev. Med."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"(2025, April 21). WHO\u2014Vaccine Efficacy, Effectiveness and Protection Explained. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/feature-stories\/detail\/vaccine-efficacy-effectiveness-and-protection."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"(2025, April 21). U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Vaccines and Therapeutics: Emergency Use Authorization for Vaccines Explained, Available online: https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/vaccines-blood-biologics\/vaccines\/emergency-use-authorization-vaccines-explained."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"(2025, April 22). Global Public Health Security and Justice for Vaccines and Therapeutics in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Available online: https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2589537021003333."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"20420986221116452","DOI":"10.1177\/20420986221116452","article-title":"Safety Surveillance and Challenges in Accelerated COVID-19 Vaccine Development","volume":"13","author":"Cole","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ther. Adv. Drug Saf."},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"(2025, April 20). FHI Clinical: Increasing Clinical Research in Africa Presents an Opportunity to Address Global Health Challenges. Available online: https:\/\/fhiclinical.com\/contact-us\/."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"European Medicines Agency (2025, June 14). Crisis Preparedness and Management: Vaccine Monitoring Platform. Available online: https:\/\/www.ema.europa.eu\/en\/about-us\/what-we-do\/crisis-preparedness-management\/vaccine-monitoring-platform."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.18579\/jopcr\/v23.1.24","article-title":"Advanced applications of artificial intelligence in pharmacovigilance: Current trends and future perspectives","volume":"23","author":"Ahire","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Pharm. Res."},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"4605","article-title":"AI for pandemic preparedness and infectious disease surveillance: Predicting outbreaks, modeling transmission, and optimizing public health interventions","volume":"5","author":"Ali","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int. J. Res. Publ. Rev."}],"container-title":["Vaccines"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-393X\/13\/6\/661\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T17:55:19Z","timestamp":1760032519000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-393X\/13\/6\/661"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,19]]},"references-count":14,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6]]}},"alternative-id":["vaccines13060661"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/vaccines13060661","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-393X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-393X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,19]]}}}