There is finally “cause for optimism” in the quest for a tuberculosis vaccine, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAD), told the opening of the sixth Global Forum on TB Vaccines on Tuesday.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, TB was the most deadly global infectious disease yet there has been little progress on vaccine development for TB for decades as it is seen as a disease of the poor.
Acknowledging that there were still “basic knowledge gaps” about TB, Fauci said that “there have been significant research advances and there is cause for optimism in the context of our research advances”.
The only licensed TB vaccine, BCG, was discovered 100 years ago and only provides moderate protection against severe forms of TB in babies and young children but does not stop TB transmission in teens and adults.
There are currently 15 TB vaccine candidates, including three in phase 3 trials and two others preparing for Phase 3 trials.
But Fauci cautioned that “incremental changes alone are not sufficient and not acceptable” – particularly in light of how COVID-19 had set back advances in TB.
He also expressed his concern about the rise of “vaccine hesitancy” – even for vaccines as efficacious as those for COVID-19 – and warned that more attention needed to be paid to “effective messaging” about vaccines.
Read the full post for the opening of the 6th Global Forum on TB Vaccines, being held virtually on 22-25 February 2022, at Health Policy Watch.