Vaccinations have significantly reduced the burden of disease in both humans and animals, and significantly lowered morbidity and mortality rates. By the late-twentieth century, diseases that had once been dreaded and deadly no longer induced the same level of fear, particularly among people in high-income countries, because they could be prevented by vaccinations.
More than two hundred years after Edward Jenner inoculated a child with cowpox and saw that it protected him from developing smallpox, we successfully eradicated two diseases from our planet: smallpox in 1980 and rinderpest* in 2011. Today we have fewer than 30 diseases in humans that can be prevented by vaccination, while many more vaccines are used to prevent diseases in animals. Thanks to the extraordinary collaborative efforts of countless specialists across sectors – virology, vaccinology, engineering, manufacturing, regulatory, logistics, transport, and supply chains – we witnessed the discovery, production, and distribution of safe and effective vaccines against covid-19 in an astonishingly short time frame. Building upon decades of research, the largest immunisation effort in human history was underway just 320 days after the genetic sequence for SARS-CoV-2 was published.
There is no room for complacency—there is so much more we can do
In our interconnected world, diseases threaten global security and global development. The protection provided by vaccinations extends beyond individual health to the health of entire communities. Therefore, investment in the vaccine ecosystem is an investment in national health, national economic wellbeing, and global health security. The covid-19 pandemic has underscored the worldwide need for a stronger, more resilient vaccine ecosystem. We have seen the severe impact of national lockdowns on the global economy with far-reaching consequences that cross national borders, extending to international trade, travel and transport. The inequality in access to immunisations across high-, middle- and low-income countries seen during the current pandemic must be addressed as a matter of urgency. Additionally, greater effort must be made to inspire impactful global and national leadership capable of eliminating the longstanding inequities that prevent universal access and universal health protection.
The Economist Group launched The Vaccine Ecosystem Initiative to explore the possibilities for both radical and incremental changes that are needed to foster improved preparedness within health systems and across broader society to harness the full potential of future vaccines. The Initiative envisions a world in which vaccines are used to safeguard good health and wellbeing for the benefit of people of all ages throughout the world. We look to foster a sustainable vaccine ecosystem by taking a holistic view of the entire ecosystem, from disease surveillance and early laboratory research to vaccination campaigns accessible to the public, while also exploring ways to harness the full potential of vaccines for all diseases amenable to prevention through vaccination. This new dynamic transcends vaccine research because changes are needed in the vaccine ecosystem that are not solely related to research and development. Beyond the laboratory, improvements in the ecosystem are needed in supply chains, system capacity, manufacturing, logistics, and public awareness and understanding. We have conceptualised the ecosystem as five inter-related pillars, as outlined in our framework report, Towards a stronger Vaccine Ecosystem: building resilience beyond covid-19. These pillars contain the key stages in the life cycle of a vaccine, all the way from inception to administration across populations. The five pillars are: research and development; manufacturing; procurement, pricing and finance; distribution, logistics and supply chain management; and user acceptance and uptake.
The theme for World Immunisation Week 2022 is “Long Life for All —vaccines, in the pursuit of a long life well lived”. The focus is on the promotion of vaccines to protect people of all ages against diseases that can be prevented by vaccination. The collective action that is required to meet these challenges is at the heart of The Vaccine Ecosystem Initiative: prevent, protect and immunise.
Follow our work on our digital hub: https://vaccineecosystem.economist.com
* Rinderpest resulted in the death of millions of cattle, buffalo, yak, and wild animals, and often led to starvation among humans who raised these animals as livestock.
Ten great public health achievements - https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/wk/mm4812.pdf
