World Immunization Week occurs annually during the last week of April. The campaign aims to highlight the collective action needed and to promote the use of vaccines in all age groups in order to prevent disease and protect life. The ultimate goal is to raise awareness of the importance of immunization amongst the public, thereby increasing vaccination rates and reducing vaccine-preventable illnesses and deaths.
The success of the first approved mRNA vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) showed promise for the utilization of this technology to reduce preventable illness across multiple disease areas, says GlobalData, a data and analytics company.
According to GlobalData, there are currently 507 prophylactic vaccines currently in late-stage development for a wide range of infectious diseases. Of these, 88 are mRNA vaccines in late-stage development for the prevention of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Lyme disease, amongst others.
Anaelle Tannen, Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData comments: “Vaccinations have heavily reduced the burden of disease in our society. We have already seen the eradication of smallpox and are very close to achieving the same with polio. Promoting immunization, improving vaccination schedules, and developing new vaccines are all methods that will contribute towards a decrease in morbidity mortality.”
Global immunization has been one of humanity’s greatest achievements, with 3.5-5 million deaths averted each year from diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza, and measles, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There are now vaccines available to prevent over 20-life threatening diseases. In addition to this, novel mechanisms are expected to broaden the scope of available prophylactic vaccines in the near future.
Tannen adds: “The recent COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for effective vaccines, improving vaccination access and acceptance, in order to protect the health, wellness, and security of the world population”.
According to key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData, mRNA technology offers the advantage of rapid production and adaptability for evolving targets. However, vaccines based on this technology necessitate ultra-cold storage, and thus modifying this would make the vaccine even more desirable.
Tannen concludes: “Whilst immunization is one of the cheapest and most effective public health interventions, enabling the eradication of disease, vaccine hesitancy is still very much present, and especially with the mRNA approach. Therefore, more work is needed to encourage acceptance of this immunization strategy among the public”.
