Vaccines save human lives, but there are still no vaccines against many dangerous pathogens. The WHO lists the most important ones.
The corona vaccines are considered a success story in the pandemic. They came early, were vaccinated billions of times and saved millions of people's lives. However, there are still no vaccines against many pathogens. The WHO has now identified the 17 most important bacteria and viruses against which vaccines urgently need to be developed. They are considered endemic.
The ten most important pathogens for each WHO region were first analyzed. The 17 most important pathogens against which new vaccines urgently need to be researched, developed and used were then identified from the regional lists.
Pathogens against which vaccine research is needed:
Pathogens against which vaccines need to be further developed:
Pathogens for which vaccines are nearing regulatory approval, policy recommendation or introduction:
Three of the diseases for which there are no vaccines – HIV, malaria and tuberculosis – claim almost 2.5 million lives every year. So research is sorely needed.
“Too often, global decisions about new vaccines have been driven solely by return on investment rather than the number of lives that could be saved in the most vulnerable communities,” said Kate O'Brien, director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biopharmaceuticals at the WHO.
