Vaccines have helped eradicate and tame some of history's worst infectious diseases, but there are many more diseases out there that vaccines can help overcome. The challenges society needs to confront to unlock the future promise of vaccines against the plagues of the 21st century are the focus of a new report by the American Academy of Microbiology.
"The success of vaccines in controlling disease has been profound. Many diseases that formerly raged unchecked are now under control and others have been eliminated in parts of the world. Despite this success, infectious diseases continue to be public health problems particularly in developing countries where vaccines are unavailable, unaffordable, or both," says James Kaper of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, co-author of the report, Vaccine Development: Current Status and Future Needs.
The report is the outcome of a colloquium convened by the Academy in March 2005 to discuss vaccines, current infectious disease problems, the potential for new and better vaccines, vaccine safety, research issues surrounding vaccines, education, and training topics. Experts in vaccine research and development from academia, industry, and government deliberated and determined several recommendations for future progress in creating and applying vaccines.