World Health Organisation (WHO) identified 17 high-priority pathogens, including those that cause HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as targets for urgent vaccine research.
Published Nov 09, 2024 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 09, 2024 | 7:00 AM
WHO’s new list of 17 priority pathogens which need vaccines. Representational Image.
Covid-19, which caused panic and fear for more than two years and claimed millions of lives worldwide, was eventually brought under control by vaccines developed in response.
Cut back to the present, the World Health Organisation (WHO) identified 17 high-priority pathogens, including those that cause HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as targets for urgent vaccine research.
These pathogens are responsible for substantial disease burdens across communities globally.
This initiative by WHO marks the first comprehensive, global effort to systematically prioritise endemic pathogens for vaccine development. The study assesses pathogens based on factors such as regional disease impact, antimicrobial resistance, and socioeconomic consequences.
While the findings reaffirm the ongoing need for vaccines against long-standing threats like HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis — which together claim nearly 2.5 million lives each year — they also bring attention to emerging concerns.
For example, pathogens like Group A Streptococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae have become critical priorities due to their increasing resistance to antimicrobial treatments, making vaccine development for these diseases more urgent than ever.
Dr Kate O’Brien, Director of WHO’s Immunisation, Vaccines, and Biologicals Department, said global decisions on new vaccines are often influenced more by potential returns on investment than by the lives that could be saved in vulnerable communities.
“This study leverages extensive regional expertise and data to prioritise vaccines that can not only reduce disease burdens affecting communities now but also lower healthcare costs for families and health systems,” said Dr O’Brien.
To identify these priorities, WHO engaged international and regional experts to analyse key factors affecting decisions on vaccine introduction and usage. By combining this expert analysis with regional data on each pathogen, WHO generated a list of the top 10 priority pathogens for each region.
These regional lists were then consolidated to create a comprehensive global list of 17 priority endemic pathogens in need of new vaccine research, development, and deployment.
This global priority list aligns with the Immunisation Agenda 2030’s vision to ensure that every person in every region has access to vaccines that protect them from serious diseases.
It provides a transparent, evidence-based framework to guide regional and global vaccine research and development (R&D), and manufacturing agendas, encouraging academics, funders, manufacturers, and countries to focus on vaccines with the greatest potential impact.
Importantly, this prioritisation of endemic pathogens complements WHO’s R&D Blueprint for Epidemics, focusing on pathogens that could spark future epidemics or pandemics, such as Covid-19 or SARS.
The findings of this report contribute to WHO’s ongoing efforts to identify and support research priorities for immunisation programs, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
By highlighting the pathogens with the highest public health and socioeconomic impact, this strategic approach aims to accelerate the development and adoption of crucial vaccines where they’re needed most.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
