Revital Healthcare, a medical supply manufacturer in Mombasa, Kenya, has announced a $3.9 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help address a looming shortage of syringes for vaccinations.

Global demand for auto-disable syringes has surged in 2021 with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, and a significant shortage is expected in 2022, which would acutely impact both COVID-19 vaccination and childhood immunization — including the rollout of new malaria vaccines — in low- and middle-income countries. The grant will enable Revital to increase annual production volume from approximately seventy-two million to nearly two hundred sixty-five million toward the end of 2022, enough to cover more than half of the routine immunization needs in Africa.

Expanding Revital's manufacturing capacity will geographically diversify the global supplier base of syringes, mitigate transportation costs, and help stabilize supply in Africa. Of the more than twenty auto-disable syringe manufacturers prequalified by the World Health Organization to provide vaccine syringes, Revital is the only one in Africa that is contracted by UNICEF and WHO for syringe supply.

"Expanding manufacturing capacity in Africa for critical supplies like syringes is essential to ensure adequate supply for the continent," said Roneek Vora, Revital's sales, marketing, and development director. "We are proud to be part of global efforts to help ensure that Africans have access to life-saving vaccination. Revital Healthcare's goal is to become the largest medical disposable manufacturer in Africa by 2030, helping the continent produce more of its own crucial healthcare commodities."

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