Most Potent Pathogens Lacking Efficient Vaccination Solutions
The World Health Organization has released a list of bacteria and viruses that require new or improved vaccines for future eradication. In a recent report, WHO scientists highlighted 17 prevalent pathogens requiring improved vaccines, such as influenza, HIV, norovirus, and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Vaccines have played a significant role in public health, controlling or even eliminating diseases like smallpox, polio, and lately, covid-19. However, there are still numerous widespread diseases without available vaccines, while some currently available vaccines only provide limited protection against their target germs, like the seasonal flu shot. Due to resource and time constraints, researchers at the World Health Organization have created a priority list of germs for added attention and development.
To create this list, international and local experts collaborated to establish selection criteria, including factors like annual child mortality due to a disease or drug resistance among the most concerning bacteria (which often show resistance to frontline antibiotics). By combining regional data with these criteria, ten disease-causing agents were identified with the most significant impact on specific regions around the world. The combinations of these regional lists resulted in a global list of 17 pathogens requiring priority research for developing vaccines. The research process was published on Monday in the journal eBioMedicine.
In a statement from the agency, Kate O'Brien, Director of the Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals Department at WHO, said, "Global decisions on new vaccines should prioritize vulnerable communities rather than simply profit. This research provides regional expertise and data to develop vaccines with the potential to significantly reduce impactful diseases while reducing medical spending for families and health systems."
Five germs were identified as top priorities for vaccination across all WHO regions, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis (tuberculosis), HIV-1 (HIV's primary cause), Klebsiella pneumoniae, S. aureus, and extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli. The remaining pathogens were Group A streptococcus, hepatitis C virus, cytomegalovirus, Leishmania parasites, non-typhoidal Salmonella bacteria, norovirus, Plasmodium falciparum (malaria), diarrhea-causing Shigella bacteria, dengue virus, Group B streptococcus, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The three deadliest diseases on the list, HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, account for approximately 2.5 million annual deaths worldwide.
Unfortunately, some of these pathogens already have available vaccines, like TB and influenza, but their protection is limited, and they often require continuous updates. Some germs have upcoming vaccines on the brink of approval or distribution, like dengue or RSV. Others have shown promise in research but are not yet ready for widespread use, such as Shigella or norovirus, while more research is needed for others to develop viable candidates, like hepatitis C, HIV-1, and K. pneumoniae.
The WHO's list is part of its broader goal to increase global vaccine accessibility by 2030, known as the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030). The researchers hope their findings can inform and refine local and global vaccine research and development efforts.
"As a global community, we must address these challenges collaboratively and promptly to maximize the benefits of current and future vaccines and achieve sustainability," they wrote in the paper. "By heeding these calls to action, we can advance towards the IA2030 vision of 'A world where everyone, everywhere, at every age, fully benefits from immunization to improve health and well-being.'"
The need for technological advancements and scientific breakthroughs in vaccine development is evident, considering the limited protection provided by current vaccines against diseases like influenza and tuberculosis. The future of public health relies on our ability to create effective vaccines for pathogens like HIV-1 and hepatitis C, which are currently without viable options.
