Five ways to reach more people with lifesaving vaccines

Immunization is the process of protecting the body against infectious disease, typically through vaccination administration. Each year, it prevents 3.5 million to 5 million deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), influenza, and measles. Vaccines are also important in preventing and controlling infectious disease outbreaks.

Despite being one of the most successful and widespread public health tools for protection against diseases, vaccines are not always affordable, adapted to the local context, or accessible to everyone who needs them. And, in some cases, there are simply no vaccines available yet to protect people against certain diseases.

This World Immunization Week, we discuss how teams with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are working on access and innovation advancements that, if achieved in the years to come, could help lifesaving vaccines reach more people around the world.

A TB vaccine for adolescents and adults could be on the horizon

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to kill more than 1 million people each year. That’s why we want to see a safe, effective, and affordable TB vaccine which — when combined with sustained investment in preventive therapies, diagnostics, and effective treatment regimens — would be a significant step toward reducing global mortality due to TB.

While there is a vaccine that helps to protect young children from severe forms of TB, there is currently no approved vaccine that protects adults and adolescents, either before or after exposure to TB infection. However, several vaccine candidates in clinical development are showing some promising initial results, so there may soon be a viable TB vaccine that can protect everyone.

Innovations to reach remote areas

Investing in innovative medical tools like vaccine microarray patches (MAPs) can help bring lifesaving vaccines to more people in remote, conflict-affected, and fragile settings. MAPs allow vaccines to be administered through the skin without needles or syringes.

While studies on MAPs are still ongoing, investing in their implementation is critical. MAPs may have the advantage over standard vaccines in low-resource settings because they are easier to transport, more thermostable (they require less refrigeration), and can be administered by community health care workers and volunteers with brief training. These factors are all critical in remote settings that lack access to routine health care and where there are often limited numbers of medical professionals available.

Hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine for all newborns

Every country must introduce the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine without delay so more newborns can be protected from the disease at birth. Each year, over a quarter of a million children acquire chronic hepatitis B at birth, resulting in many premature deaths due to liver cancer or other liver diseases. These deaths could be prevented if a hepatitis B birth dose — an affordable vaccine supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, since 2024 — were given to all newborns within their first 24 hours of life.

Vaccines to protect against neglected diseases

We want to see increased interest and investment in the research and development of vaccines for neglected diseases, including Lassa fever. Neglected diseases are estimated to affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, and are mainly prevalent in under-resourced communities in tropical areas. These diseases frequently cause significant public health issues. However, because neglected diseases rarely  affect people in wealthier countries — if at all — they receive limited attention and funding for vaccine research and development. Safe and effective vaccines, including against Lassa fever, would help reduce the burden of neglected diseases in affected areas.

Timely access to vaccines for all children, no matter where they live

Vaccines must be rapidly and consistently supplied and administered to children everywhere, especially those living in underserved areas. Of 14.3 million children who missed out on receiving any vaccination in 2024, half lived in countries affected by conflict, fragility, or humanitarian crises. Reaching all children with vaccination is critical to preventing disease outbreaks and saving lives.