logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2022
24m 33s

Covid: South Africa makes its own versio...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Scientists in South Africa have made a copy of the Moderna Covid vaccine, a move which they say could help boost vaccination rates across Africa. West African regional bloc Ecowas will deploy troops to Guinea-Bissau to help stabilise the country after this week's attempted coup. The first AU summit since the pandemic began in 2020 kicks off in Addis Ababa this weekend. What's on the agenda?

Up next
Today
US slaps 30% tariff on South Africa
Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Nyasha Michelle and Bella Hassan in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi. Technical Producer: Pat Sissons Senior Producer Paul Bakibinga Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi 
32m 10s
Yesterday
Ghanaians lured into football job scam
Ghanaian authorities have rescued more than 70 young men from a trafficking ring in Nigeria. The men thought they were heading for football contracts or overseas opportunities. Why has football become a gateway for trafficking?Leaders from five African countries - Gabon, Guinea-B ... Show More
28m 15s
Jul 8
First malaria drug for infants approved
The first malaria medicine suitable for babies and very young children is approved for use.How increased taxes on remittances from USA could hurt Africa.Plus, a new tool to help children with communication impairments.Presenter: Richard Kagoe Producers: Tom Kavanagh and Stefania ... Show More
28m 46s
Recommended Episodes
May 2021
Can Africa produce its own Covid vaccines?
It’s probably fair to say that the one thing the whole world has collectively been thinking about in the last year is Covid and the vaccines that will defeat the infection. Although some countries in Africa have done well at getting their citizens the jab, Africa remains the leas ... Show More
16m 18s
Jun 2021
Why is Covid on the rise again in Africa?
The World Health Organisation has said there is a threat of a third wave of Covid in Africa, describing new infections as real and rising. The strain named Delta and first identified in India has now been identified in at least a dozen African countries. The situation has been ma ... Show More
15m 24s
Aug 2021
Africa’s vaccine ambitions
Africa is a continent of 1.3 billion people, but makes less than 1% of the lifesaving vaccines it needs. The continent’s 54 nations are almost entirely dependent on agencies like Unicef and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, for these essential pharmaceuticals. But the pandemic of 2020 ... Show More
27m 42s
Aug 2021
Why isn't Africa producing vaccines?
Less than two percent of Africa’s population has been vaccinated against Covid-19. Could homegrown vaccines be the solution? If so, why isn’t it happening? Is it an issue with patents and intellectual property rights? Is big pharma standing in the way? Or is it simply about money ... Show More
17m 28s
Feb 2021
Will Africa ever get rid of Ebola?
Ebola is back in West Africa. Five people have died in Guinea - the country’s first deaths since the last epidemic ended in 2016. But it’s not all bad news. Vaccines are being rolled out in hotspot areas, scientists know more about the virus and governments are better equipped to ... Show More
14m 11s
Jun 2022
Is Monkeypox really an issue for Africa?
Monkeypox was first detected in Nigeria and the DRC in the 1970s. Since then there’ve been a number of cases in West African countries including Cameroon, the Central Africa Republic and Sierra Leone – but it hasn’t been a problem for much of the rest of the continent – and compa ... Show More
14 m
Apr 2021
Why are Covid vaccines going to waste?
In the fight against Covid-19, every vaccine counts.And yet, both Malawi and South Sudan say they might destroy as many as 70,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.The World Health Organization pleaded with them not to.So what exactly is behind their plan? And what does it tell ... Show More
12m 5s
Jan 2022
The Evidence: Africa, the pandemic and healthcare independence
In a special edition of The Evidence, Claudia Hammond and her panel of experts focus on Africa, on how the more than fifty countries on the continent, home to 1.3 billion people and the most youthful population in the world, have fared, two years into the pandemic.African scienti ... Show More
50m 17s
Oct 2022
Is enough being done to stop Meningitis in Africa?
A few years ago, Africa was tantalising close to eliminating Meningitis type A - thanks to vaccination campaigns which started from 2010 onwards. But the World Health Organization says the Covid-19 pandemic delayed vaccinations for more than 50 million children across the contine ... Show More
15m 43s