A World Health Organization (WHO) study has listed the top endemic pathogens for which new vaccines are “urgently needed”.
The study details the 17 pathogens that regularly cause diseases in communities and represents the first global effort to “systematically prioritise” endemic pathogens based on criteria such as antimicrobial resistance risk, regional disease burden and socioeconomic impact, WHO said.
Alongside reconfirming long-standing priorities for vaccine research and development, including for malaria and HIV, the study also identifies pathogens such as Group A streptococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae as top disease control priorities in all regions.
Kate O’Brien, director of the immunisation, 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.”
Vaccines for the 17 pathogens are at different stages of development, WHO outlined, with Group A streptococcus, hepatitis C virus, HIV-1 and Klebsiella pneumoniae on the list of pathogens where vaccine research is needed.
The list of pathogens where vaccines need to be further developed includes Cytomegalovirus, influenza virus (broadly protective vaccine), Leishmania species, non-typhoidal Salmonella, Norovirus, Plasmodium falciparum (malaria), Shigella species and Staphylococcus aureus.
Meanwhile, the pathogens where vaccines are approaching regulatory approval, policy recommendation or introduction are dengue virus, Group B streptococcus, extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and respiratory syncytial virus.
The announcement comes just a few months after WHO released its 2024 Bacterial Priority Pathogens List, which highlights the antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens that should be prioritised to address the evolving challenges of antibiotic resistance, recognised as one of the biggest threats to public health globally.
The updated list covers 24 pathogens spanning 15 families and categorises them into critical, high and medium priority groups to inform research and development and public health interventions.