New TB vaccine trial brings hope

AS THE world marked World TB Day yesterday, a significant break- through has emerged in the battle against tuberculosis (TB), a disease that claims approximately 3500 lives daily, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

- MERCURY CORRESPONDENT

Experts are heralding the potential of anew vaccine, M72/ASO01E, which is currently undergoing a phase 3 clinical trial, aimed at determining its efficacy in preventing TB disease.

This critical trial is being conducted across five countries: South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, and Indonesia, with South Africa housing most of the trial sites.

Professor Willem Hanekom, a TB vaccine specialist and executive director of the Africa Health Research Institute, said TB takes a grave socio-economic toll on communities, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The world’s highest incidence rate is here, where hundreds of thousands fall ill each year,” he said.

Hanekom said it is fitting that, as the global community focuses on TB awareness, Africa, primarily South Africa, is playing a pivotal role in the advancement of a TB vaccine that shows promise akin to that of the BCG vaccine, which was developed over a century ago in 1921.