Bethesda, MD – Vaccinating children around the world against infectious diseases has saved the lives of millions over the past several decades. Now new opportunities exist to overcome remaining challenges—and save another 6.4 million lives over the current decade, according articles in the June 2011 edition of Health Affairs. The issue was produced under the journal's grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Last year, the Gates Foundation committed an additional $10 billion over the current decade to make life-saving vaccines available to millions of children. Health Affairs' June issue explores the strategies that will be necessary to achieve that goal—from investing in new science and building creative models of vaccine development and financing to improving the "supply chains" that distribute vaccines from manufacturers to the most remote clinics.
The articles include:
Successful Approaches to Vaccine Development and Delivery
Creative product development and financing models have been critical in boosting vaccine development and bringing vaccines to developing countries.
Vaccines in the Pipeline
As many as twelve new vaccines may be rolled out in the next decade against diseases such as typhoid, malaria, and dengue. Researchers are at a critical point in vaccine development, but they will need to overcome a number of challenges in the near future. These include securing the financing needed to get potentially life-saving medicines over clinical and regulatory hurdles within the next three to five years.
Additional Challenges Ahead
To move forward, significant challenges need to be addressed in the science, distribution, and financing of vaccines.
A full table of contents from this issue is available here: http://healthaffairs.org/Media/2011_06_toc.pdf
Health Affairs
is the leading journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published by Project HOPE, the peer-reviewed journal appears each month in print, with additional Web First papers published periodically and health policy briefs published twice monthly at www.healthaffairs.org . You can also find the journal on Facebook and Twitter. Read daily perspectives on Health Affairs Blog. Download weekly Narrative Matters podcasts on iTunes. Address inquiries to Sue Ducat at (301) 841-9962 or sducat@projecthope.org