Long-standing priorities for vaccine research and development (R&D) are reaffirmed in the report, including those for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis—three illnesses that together claim around 2.5 million lives annually.

According to recent World Health Organization (WHO) research that was published in eBioMedicine, the development of new Urgent vaccines should focus on 17 endemic pathogens that often cause illnesses in communities. The WHO analysis represents the first worldwide attempt to comprehensively rank endemic infections according to socioeconomic effect, risk of antibiotic resistance, and geographical illness burden.

Long-standing priorities for vaccine R&D are reaffirmed in the report; including those for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis—three illnesses that together claim around 2.5 million lives annually.

The survey also highlights the need for new vaccinations against bacteria that are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics by naming pathogens like Klebsiella pneumoniae and Group A streptococcus as the top disease management priorities in every area.

Too frequently, judgments on new vaccine development have been made globally based only on return on investment rather than the number of lives that may be saved in the most vulnerable areas, according to Dr. Kate O'Brien, Director of the Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals Department at WHO. In order to evaluate vaccinations that would not only drastically lower the prevalence of illnesses that now affect communities but also lower the medical expenses that families and health systems bear, this study makes use of extensive regional experience and data.

When choosing which vaccinations to launch and use, WHO asked regional and worldwide experts to list the characteristics that are most essential to them. The top 10 priority infections for each WHO area were determined by combining their choices with regional statistics for each disease. Following the consolidation of the regional lists to create the global list, 17 priorities endemic infections were identified for which further research, development, and use of novel vaccines are required.