The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) says that it is collaborating with the Government of Canada to strengthen manufacturing capacities to increase the “safe and timely access” to vaccines in countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Through US$ 11.1 million funding provided by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), PAHO said it will reinforce its current work to enhance the existing regional vaccine production capacities, including the manufacturing of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against COVID-19 and other diseases.
PAHO said the Latin American and Caribbean region imports six times more pharmaceuticals than it exports, leaving it vulnerable to fluctuations in global supply, particularly during emergencies.
During the first years of the pandemic, PAHO said severe shortages of COVID-19 vaccines heightened the need to rapidly increase regional production.
