| | | | |  | | By Evan Peng, Erin Schumaker, Daniel Payne and Carmen Paun | Presented by Kidney Care Access Coalition | | | | | | 
After dropping during the pandemic, vaccination rates are recovering in the developing world. | Jerome Delay/AP Photo | Basic childhood immunization in low-income countries largely recovered in 2022 from pandemic-era declines, according to a new report. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public-private global health partnership that supports vaccine access in the developing world, reported that good news in an annual progress report. The report found that across the 57 countries supported by Gavi, 81 percent of children had received all three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) vaccines, a benchmark for basic immunization protections.
|  | Why it matters: In 2019, 83 percent of children in Gavi-supported countries were DTP3-vaccinated. In 2020 and 2021, that number declined to 79 percent and 78 percent, respectively. Those drops were likely brought on by pandemic-induced disruptions to public health efforts. Gavi points to record-high financial commitments to immunization efforts by the low-income countries as a driver behind the rebound. In 2022, recipient countries collectively contributed $162 million to co-finance Gavi-supported vaccines. Vaccination itself also provides financial returns through healthier populations. The report estimates that since 2000, immunization programs in Gavi-backed countries have created more than $220 billion in economic benefits. Even so: Coverage remains uneven; global and regional averages can mask significant inequities. Plus, the public health landscape will only grow more volatile as climate change, deforestation and migration increase the risk of disease outbreaks and future pandemics. “The prospect for immunisation to deliver transformative societal and economic benefits is greater than ever, but only if we are collectively able to navigate the path ahead,” Gavi board chair José Manuel Barroso said in a release.
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access Coalition: Dialysis patients and their families are being harmed. Learn more from the Kidney Care Access Coalition. | | | | | | | 
Naples, Fla. | Herbert Zeller | | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. The real Tom Hanks is warning people not to buy a dental plan an AI-powered Tom Hanks was promoting. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Evan Peng at epeng@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO reporter Ben Leonard, who breaks down what will happen to health care agencies and programs now that a continuing resolution will keep the federal government open through Nov. 17.
| | | | | | |  Mosquitoes spread dengue in France and Spain last year. | AFP via Getty Images | Europe saw more cases of locally acquired dengue last year than in all of the previous decade. That’s contributing to an increase in research into the mosquito-borne disease. What’s up? Climate change and migration mean the mosquitoes that transmit dengue, plus other diseases like chikungunya and Zika, are setting up shop in Europe, POLITICO’s Ashleigh Furlong reports. The most recent annual data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows that, in 2022, Europe saw 71 cases of locally acquired dengue: 65 in France and six in Spain. While dengue usually results in mild or no symptoms, it can lead to high fever, severe headache and vomiting. Severe dengue can cause bleeding from the gums, abdominal pain and, in some cases, death. Research grows: The ailments mosquitoes spread have traditionally fallen under the umbrella of neglected tropical diseases, a group of infections that affect mainly low-income countries and struggle to attract investment. But that’s changing. Policy Cures Research, which publishes an annual report on research and development investment into neglected diseases, found in its 2022 analysis a 33 percent increase in funding for nonvaccine products for dengue compared to the previous year, with industry investment reaching a record $28 million. Across the major drugmakers, Johnson & Johnson is working on a dengue antiviral treatment, and Merck has a dengue vaccine in its pipeline. Two dengue vaccines are already approved in the EU — one from Sanofi and another from Takeda. Moderna recently told POLITICO it’s looking closely at a dengue vaccine candidate.
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access Coalition:   | | | | | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | | |  Heavy rains swamped Fleming-Neon, Ky., in July 2022. | AP | About 1 in 5 U.S. counties highly exposed to natural disasters also face greater “social vulnerability” than other parts of the U.S., reports the Treasury Department. The latter measure includes greater health challenges and more poverty. The agency tallied the inequitable dangers of climate change in a new report, POLITICO’s Avery Ellfeldt writes. The combination of increased natural disasters and greater social vulnerability has the potential to “compound existing inequities,” according to the Treasury. How so? As one example, the report looked at the Appalachian region of the eastern U.S., which is more likely to flood as the planet warms. Residents in that part of the country not only face the climate threat but often have reduced access to health care services and “more limited employment opportunities,” the report said. Appalachia isn’t the only region at risk. The report highlighted similar problems in the Southwest, which is exposed to wildfires, and the Mississippi Delta, which is vulnerable to spells of extreme heat. “Lower-income households often lack access to air conditioning, which may make them more susceptible to heat-related illnesses,” the report said. “Households in the Mississippi Delta are more likely to include older adults and individuals with pre-existing health conditions. These households may experience financial strain from added healthcare and utility costs.”
| | | | A message from Kidney Care Access Coalition: Employer health plans can now discriminate against patients with kidney failure. Prevent that tragedy.
Congress: Restore what’s right – protect dialysis patients and their families.
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