Vaccines in health strategies for developing countries--priorities and technology transfer

Millions of people in developing countries are still at risk of dying of infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, typhoid, tuberculosis and cholera despite the existence of relevant vaccines. For economical reasons commercial firms are not keen to invest in new or improved vaccines meant for the Third World market. Yet some vaccines could be made cheaply if there was more effort in transfer of knowledge and technology between scientists of the technically developed countries and the Third World. National governments and research institutions should accept a special responsibility to mobilize available manpower and technical resources to provide the right vaccines at the right cost to those who need them the most. Without rapid progress in this field, developing countries will lack some of the most cost effective tools in their strategies for preventing disease, disability and death.