Kenya stands to benefit as the World Health Organization (WHO) prioritizes new vaccine development for 17 specific pathogens that are significant causes of disease globally, including in Kenyan communities. This new initiative, announced in a recent WHO study, seeks to tackle pathogens identified as critical based on factors such as regional disease prevalence, antimicrobial resistance concerns, and socio-economic impact.
The WHO’s global study highlights urgent vaccine research and development (R&D) priorities, reconfirming established targets like HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis—three diseases that together cause nearly 2.5 million deaths each year worldwide, with Kenya seeing particularly high burdens from these infections according to its Economic Survey data.
Additionally, pathogens such as Group A streptococcus and Klebsiella pneumoniae are underscored as crucial for new vaccine development due to their rising resistance to antimicrobial treatments. This growing resistance challenges global health, emphasizing the need for targeted vaccine interventions.
Dr. Kate O’Brien, WHO’s director of the department overseeing immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, noted that vaccine decisions have often been swayed by financial returns rather than potential health benefits for vulnerable populations. She highlighted this study’s focus on gathering insights from regional experts and local data, aiming to reduce disease impact while lowering medical costs for families and health systems.
WHO gathered feedback from international and regional experts to guide the vaccine prioritization process, ensuring relevance to each region’s needs. Following this input, a top 10 list of pathogens was developed for each region, later combined to form a global list of 17 priority pathogens needing urgent vaccine development.
This list supports WHO’s Immunisation Agenda 2030, which aims to make life-saving vaccines available to all communities. It offers an equitable foundation for setting vaccine research agendas at both regional and global levels, directing resources toward where vaccine impact would be greatest.
Complementing WHO’s R&D blueprint for epidemic-prone pathogens, this priority list provides clear guidance for academia, funding bodies, manufacturers, and countries to advance vaccine R&D, ultimately enhancing preparedness against both endemic diseases and potential future epidemics.