Immunology and world health: key contributions from the global community

Abstract

The contributions of immunology to world health must be seen in the context of the severe disadvantage prevailing in many countries. Low life expectancy, high infant and maternal mortality rates, and continued prevalence of infections as causes of preventable deaths highlight what vaccines can do to improve the situation. This paper will briefly review some major new international health programs, including the GAVI Alliance; the Global Polio Eradication Initiative; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; and the Global Malaria Action Plan. It will also outline the state of research progress for vaccines that are not yet licensed but that, in many cases, appear within reach. Of course, vaccines are not the be-all and the end-all of global health, so brief reference will be made to nutrition, vector biology and control, and the emergence of noncommunicable diseases as threats.