WHO warns of pathogens that could trigger the next pandemic and will require a vaccine

World Health Organization (WHO) has published a list of 17 priority pathogens for the development of new vaccines, highlighting the urgent need to combat diseases that have a major impact on global health. The study, published last Tuesday in The Lancet journal eBioMedicine, focuses on diseases such as HIV, malaria and tuberculosiswho together are responsible for almost 2.5 million deaths every year.

Among the registered pathogens are group A streptococcuswhich causes serious infections and is responsible for approximately 280,000 deaths per year from rheumatic heart disease. Another priority pathogen is Klebsiella pneumoniabacteria that caused nearly 800,000 deaths in 2019 and 40% neonatal mortality from sepsis.

The study represents the first attempt give priority to endemic pathogens depending on its regional and global impact. To this end, WHO is committed to ensuring that vaccines are developed taking into account health needsleaving aside commercial profitability.

Dr. Kate O’BrienDirector of the WHO Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, stressed the importance of this change, which will have to “take into account the number of people in the most vulnerable communities who could save a life“and not investments, as happened in other cases.

To prepare the list, we consulted experts in epidemiology, medicine and vaccine development, the criteria of which were based on number of deaths caused by each pathogen, as well as their socioeconomic impact and antimicrobial resistance.

This analysis allowed the identification of 17 pathogens:

• Pathogens for which this is necessary investigate vaccines: Group A Streptococcus; hepatitis C virus; HIV-1; Klebsiella pneumonia.

• Pathogens for which this is necessary continue development vaccines: Cytomegalovirus; Influenza virus (broad protective vaccine); Leishmania spp.; Non-typhoidal salmonella; norovirus; Plasmodium falciparum (malaria); Shigella species; Staphylococcus aureus.

• Pathogens against which vaccines have been developed close to regulatory approvalpolicy recommendation or introduction: dengue virus; Group B Streptococcus; Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

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