As H1N1 spread from continent to continent in 2009, there was growing concern over the severity of swine flu in Africa, due to its lack of accessible healthcare and affordable drugs. But without a homegrown H1N1 vaccine, African countries are forced to compete for limited stockpiles in the global market, going up against developed countries with millions of dollars to spend. As of yet, no African countries have been able to buy the vaccine for themselves, forcing them to rely on donations. Developed countries and international groups have offered to help, but as of December, no vaccines had yet reached the continent.
This dependency on the developed world could be obviated, of course, if the continent had its own biotechnology sector to pump out the doses it needs at home. The argument originated decades ago when scientists abroad began researching diseases prominent on the continent, such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. ...
