5 neglected tropical diseases can be treated preventatively without a required vaccine. Dracunculiasis has almost been eradicated through the environmental regulation of safe drinking water. Mass drug campaigns that distribute antibiotics and other necessary drugs have been effective in decreasing the prevalence of ascariasis, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma and trichuriasis. 

Category 1: No Vaccine Required

Neglected tropical diseases, such as cysticercosis and echinococcosis (larval tapeworm infections), can be essential veterinary and public health issues. Zoonotic infections, such as human African trypanosomiasis and a form of human schistosomiasis, are major concerns as they have natural reservoirs in animals. For such diseases, it may be more effective to vaccinate the animal population that are natural reservoirs for certain NTDs. These NTDs negatively impact animal populations, such as livestock, producing a commercial market for these vaccines. Expanded usage of NTD vaccines could impede transmission from an infected animal to a human host. There are ag-vet companies that could develop and test these vaccines that would be administered to animal populations. 

Category 2: Veterinary & Transmission Blocking Vaccines

Anti-poverty vaccines, or those that target NTDs, serve to improve human health and support economic development in developing nations predominantly affected by NTDs. Despite these significant benefits, there is a starking lack of incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop such vaccines. Without an available commercial market for these vaccines, pharmaceutical companies are unwilling to make the necessary investment in research. However, there are various incentives, like review vouchers, which are being used to increase interest to upscale the manufacturing of these vaccines. 

Human Anti-Poverty Vaccines

Vaccines for NTDs

Vaccines that target neglected tropical disease are categorized into three different groups
- Category 1: No Vaccine Required
- Category 2: Veterinary and Transmission Blocking Vaccines
- Category 3: Human Anti-Poverty Vaccines



Tulane University

Neglected tropical diseases disproportionately affect the world’s poorest populations or the “bottom billion”, a total 1.4 billion people living below the poverty level. These populations suffer from bacterial, protozoal, viral and helminthic infections which include chagas disease, hookworm, dengue fever and schistosomiasis. These diseases contribute to poverty as they adversely affect child cognitive development and worker productivity, thus promoting a generational cycle of poverty. Vaccines that target these childhood and neglected diseases are referred to as “Anti-Poverty Vaccines”. Although vaccine development that target childhood diseases have overcome efforts to combat NTDs, development and delivery of NTD vaccines have currently become financially incentivized. However, further stimulation of large pharmaceutical companies and vaccine distributors is needed to promote vaccine development for NTDs. 

Anti-Poverty Vaccines

Hotez, P. (2011). A handful of ‘antipoverty’ vaccines exist for neglected diseases, but the world’s poorest billion people need more. Health Affairs, 30(6), 1080-1087. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0317

A Handful Of ‘Antipoverty’ Vaccines Exist For Neglected Diseases, But The World’s Poorest Billion People Need More

The implementation of vaccine development for childhood diseases and neglected tropical diseases, promoted by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, began in 2010 and has been named the “Decade of Vaccines”. This vaccine campaign attempts to aid populations living in the poorest conditions compared to developed nations across the globe. Significant progress has been made to increase accessibility of vaccines that combat childhood killer diseases such as rotavirus and measles. The success of this program is attributed to multinational cooperation and collaboration between pharmaceutical companies. The Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) has already made significant contributions to vaccine development and administration. Additionally, financial incentives placed by governmental authorities have created a market commitment by big pharmaceutical companies. 

Decade of Vaccines

Although efforts to combat childhood killer diseases have been immense, consequently, there have been reduced actions to curb the global disease burden of NTDs. Although neglected diseases are caused by numerous types of disease causing pathogens, these diseases have geographic and functional similarities. In areas of extreme poverty, it is not unusual to discover multiple neglected diseases operating at the same time and within the same population. Due to these commonalities, the same global health policy framework has been implemented to understand the conditions that promote NTD transmission. It is essential that the same global attention for childhood killer diseases is directed towards NTD control and treatment to ensure that the world’s most marginalized communities are not our last priority. 


Childhood Diseases vs. Neglected Tropical Diseases

There are three reasons that explain the reduced global involvement in vaccine development for neglected diseases. These include:

- High morbidity-low mortality conditions
- Hidden in remote areas
- Expensive research and development



Absence of Investment in Vaccine Development

Anti-Poverty Vaccines for NTDs

Several vaccines for neglected tropical diseases are in clinical phases of development or early research. The collaboration between university laboratories, product development partnerships and public-sector manufacturers has promoted vaccine construction and manufacturing. Human vaccines for hookworm infections are currently entering Phase II clinical trials. Vaccines for Chagas disease, food-borne trematode infections and onchocerciasis are in a preclinical phase of development. 

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