WHO identifies 17 pathogens in urgent need of vaccines

The list reconfirms longstanding priorities for vaccine research and development: HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis -- three diseases that collectively kill nearly 2.5 million people each year

A new World Health Organization (WHO) study published in BioMedicine has listed 17 pathogens that regularly cause diseases in communities as top priorities for new vaccine development. The WHO study is the first global effort to systematically prioritise endemic pathogens based on criteria that include regional disease burden, antimicrobial resistance risk and socioeconomic impacts.

The study reconfirms longstanding priorities for vaccine research and development (R&D), including for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis -- three diseases that collectively kill nearly 2.5 million people each year.

The study also identified pathogens such as Group A streptococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae as top disease control priorities in all regions, highlighting the urgency to develop new vaccines for pathogens increasingly resistant to antimicrobials.

Kate O’Brien, Director of the Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals Department at WHO, said, “Too often global decisions on new vaccines have been solely driven by return on investment, rather than by the number of lives that could be saved in the most vulnerable communities. This study uses broad regional expertise and data to assess vaccines that would not only significantly reduce diseases that greatly impact communities today but also reduce the medical costs that families and health systems face.”

Pathogens nearing regulatory approval or political recommendation for their vaccines include the dengue virus, Group B Streptococcus, extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the respiratory syncytial virus.

This new WHO global priority list of endemic pathogens for vaccine R&D supports the Immunization Agenda 2030’s goal of ensuring that everyone, in all regions, can benefit from vaccines that protect them from serious diseases.

Published - November 07, 2024 01:30 pm IST