The 21st century is shaping up to be the "century of
vaccines," as
vaccine developers make striking progress against both emerging and longstanding diseases, according to
Vaccines: Preventing Diseases and Protecting Health, from the
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Taking aim at a range of diseases—including HIV/AIDS, SARS, West Nile virus, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, drug-resistant malaria, dengue, and anthrax—new vaccine development ventures appear to be keeping pace with the growing threat of emerging and re-emerging diseases. More than ever in history, vaccines in this century promise to be the first and best line of defense against disease, according to the new book.
The book takes an in-depth look at the past, present, and future of vaccines and immunization programs. It brings together the best and brightest minds in vaccinology and public health to examine key emerging and re-emerging diseases and how existing and upcoming vaccines are doing battle against them.
A prime example is West Nile virus, which first appeared in the United States in Queens, New York, in 1999. Four short years later, explains Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, his institute funded a fast-track vaccine development project in the private sector to create a chimeric vaccine against the virus. Showcasing how rapidly vaccine development can progress in today’s world, phase 1 testing on the vaccine is scheduled to begin any day.
In February 2003, the first few cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were reported in Asia. The disease fanned out to more than two dozen countries, and by September 2003, cases tallied more than 8,000, and SARS-related deaths stood at 774, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is supporting the development of several vaccines against SARS, both at the Institute’s Vaccine Research Center and elsewhere. Currently in the pipeline are an inactivated virus vaccine similar to effective vaccines against other viruses, as well as vector-based, recombinant and DNA-based vaccines. A SARS vaccine may well be in the offing.