How to Achieve Indigenous Self-sufficiency in Vaccine Development? A Roadmap

Abstract

For every nation state with a large population (Pakistan being the 5 largest), it is imperative to have indigenous
capability to meet one's own requirement of vaccines for one's own set of prevailing diseases. Imports are
costly and not always readily available as became evident globally during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Microbial antigenicity may also vary significantly from region to region on account of mutations. Hence
efficiency of vaccine too can vary accordingly.
Vaccines have dramatically reduced the burden of numerous infectious diseases, promoted individual and
social growth, prosperity and wellbeing across the globe. In the coming decade, vaccines are likely to save
twenty-five million lives¹ , and will continue to be the cornerstone of public health programmes. It is estimated
that six out of every ten infectious diseases in humans are transmitted by animals and 70% of emerging and reemerging
diseases are either spread from animals to humans or infected animals to the healthy ones through
insects.² The role of vaccines in human health is therefore not only limited to humans but is vital to control
disease transmission from animals to humans as well.

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