The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new study highlighting 17 endemic pathogens that urgently need vaccines.
This publication was done on Tuesday, November 5 via a study from a book known as eBioMedicine
Diseases like Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), malaria and tuberculosis which together claim nearly 2.5 million lives each year were prioritized.
Although treatments have improved, these diseases continue to pose major public health challenges, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
This WHO study is the first comprehensive global effort to prioritize endemic pathogens by considering factors such as regional disease impact, the risk of antimicrobial resistance and the socioeconomic consequences.
The study also highlights pathogens like Group A streptococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae as key priorities for disease control worldwide thus emphasizing the urgent need to develop new vaccines for pathogens that are becoming more resistant to antimicrobial treatments.
“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,” Director of the Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals Department at WHO, Dr Kate O’Brien said.
Adding that, “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.”
The WHO consulted with international and regional experts to determine the key factors they consider when deciding which vaccines to introduce and use.
By analyzing these preferences alongside regional data for each pathogen, the experts identified the top 10 priority pathogens for each WHO region.
These regional lists were then merged to create a global list of 17 priority endemic pathogens that urgently require new vaccines for research, development and deployment.
This global priority list aligns with the Immunization Agenda 2030, which aims to ensure that everyone, everywhere, has access to vaccines that protect against serious diseases.
The list offers a fair and transparent foundation for shaping regional and global priorities in vaccine research, development and production.
It aims to provide clear guidance to researchers, funders, manufacturers, and countries on where ‘vaccine R&D’ could have the greatest impact.
“This global prioritization exercise for endemic pathogens complements the WHO R&D blueprint for epidemics, which identified priority pathogens that could cause future epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19 or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
“The findings of this new report on endemic pathogens are part of WHO’s work to identify and support the research priorities and needs of immunization programmes in low and middle-income countries, to inform the global vaccine R&D agenda and to strategically advance the development and uptake of priority vaccines, particularly against pathogens that cause the largest public health burden and greatest socioeconomic impact,” the global health body said in a statement.
Here is the WHO’s list of priority endemic pathogens, although the vaccines for these pathogens are at various stages of development.
Pathogens requiring vaccine research are:
Group A Streptococcus.
Hepatitis C virus.
HIV-1.
Klebsiella Pneumoniae.
Pathogens needing further vaccine development are:
Cytomegalovirus.
Influenza Virus (broadly protective vaccine).
Leishmania Species.
Non-typhoidal Salmonella.
Norovirus.
Plasmodium falciparum which responsible for causing Malaria.
Shigella Species.
Staphylococcus aureus.
Pathogens with vaccines nearing regulatory approval, policy recommendation or introduction are:
Dengue Virus.
Group B Streptococcus.
Extra-intestinal Pathogenic Entamoeba coli (E.coli).
Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
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