The following guest post by Peg Willingham, Senior Director for External Affairs for Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, is part of Disruptive Women’s “The Value of Health: Creating Economic Security in the Developing World” series.

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Shortly, I will be heading to Cancun, Mexico, for the 40^th Union World Conference on Tuberculosis and Lung Health.  The meeting will bring together hundreds of dedicated researchers, project implementers, World Health Organization officials and advocates who have committed themselves to stopping tuberculosis, which is second only to HIV/AIDS as the most infectious disease killer globally.  Yet decades after the first meeting of this august body, we are still using the same outdated, inefficient and marginally effective tools to fight TB.  Meanwhile, the wily tuberculosis bacterium – which has been killing people for tends of thousands of years – continues to get ahead of us with its growing resistance to available treatment.  Vaccines remain the most medically efficient and cost-effective ways to prevent and eliminate disease.   To stop TB, we must do all we can to mobilize the scientists, researchers, public health decision-makers and funders to make new TB vaccines a reality.

The development of new TB vaccines is a vast and expensive undertaking requiring an all-hands-on-deck approach.  Private foundations and a select group of European governments are supporting this work, but the US government lags woefully behind.  The US established itself as a world leader in HIV/AIDS through President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.  The U.S. also is a dominant force behind ramped up HIV and malaria vaccine research.  Yet, the US has failed to take up TB vaccine research as a priority funding area.  Because of PEPFAR, many are now living full lives with HIV, only to be struck down by TB.   Why this lack of action on TB?

The pandemic is ever-more dangerous as it evolves globally and thousands of Americans become ill with TB each year.  TB is a disease of poverty and it kills nearly as many women as all causes of maternal mortality.  Active TB disease hampers a mother’s ability to care for her family and robs many children of their mothers.  Children, especially those living in the crowded conditions of poverty, are also at greater risk of becoming infected with TB when a parent or family member has TB.

The good news is that there is tremendous momentum in TB vaccine research, with seven TB vaccine candidates currently undergoing clinical testing.  My organization, Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation, and a handful of others are doing all we can with available resources to accelerate the process to get new, safe and effective vaccines to those who need them so urgently.  Although Aeras is a non-profit research organization, developing new vaccines is still a complex and expensive undertaking.  One large-scale clinical trial designed for potential licensure of a vaccine will cost approximately $160 million.  Yet this represents a smart investment, because a TB vaccine would be save millions of dollars – and lives.  As the Obama administration and Congress outlines their foreign assistance agendas, TB vaccine research should be prioritized. Investment in preventing TB today will translate into fewer resources in treatment and lost productivity – and lives – in the future.

Related posts:

1. Preparing for the Fourth Decade of AIDS
2. Poll: Should the H1N1 vaccine be mandatory?
3. Global Health Starts at Home
4. What Happiness Looks Like: A Chance for Change on World Pneumonia Day
5. Getting life-saving vaccines to those who need it most: the nuanced solution for access

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 8:58 am and is filed under Global Health, Guest Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.