Dr. Kimberley Gutu, Project Manager at the Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics (VIDA) Research Unit was invited to speak at the recent ISoP Africa Chapter Meeting held in Kampala, Uganda. Dr. Gutu spoke on the status quo of vaccination in Africa, role of vaccine safety surveillance and infrastructure in Africa, existing vaccine safety data networks, and implementation of the GVDN "LMIC model" using real-time hospital data and screening for possible adverse events of special interest following COVID-19 vaccination, and learnings for future surveillance across Africa.
Click here to view Gutu's presentation.
Gutu said "It was a great pleasure to present at the recent ISoP Africa Chapter Meeting in Kampala, Uganda. This opportunity allowed me to discuss how GVDN is supporting this work within the African continent and to share my personal experiences as a GVDN investigator.
"The meeting provided an excellent platform for networking and connecting with individuals from various streams in the pharmacovigilance space, including regulatory authorities, pharmaceutical companies, and academic and research institutions. The engagement during my talk was captivating, and I gained a deeper understanding of others' experiences doing similar work. I also had the chance to highlight opportunities to those previously unaware of GVDN's efforts.
"Overall, it was a very enriching experience. My sincerest gratitude goes to the GVDN directors for supporting my presentation and to the organisers of the meeting for their warm reception."
Gutu ended with an African proverb:
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”