Overview

Background

New and effective vaccines are needed to meet global targets to end TB. Fortunately, six promising adult and adolescent TB vaccine candidates are in Phase III clinical trials. But vaccines can only save lives and prevent transmission if they are widely used. The next few years will be crucial in preparing for a safe, successful vaccine introduction.

Because of the growing interest of many players in this field, effective communication and information-sharing platforms are needed. This repository is collecting vaccine preparedness projects from around the world to promote collaboration among the stakeholders in this space and help prepare communities, health systems, and countries for the implementation of a new TB vaccine for adults and adolescents.

Supporting, Mobilizing, and Accelerating Research for Tuberculosis Elimination (SMART4TB) is a five-year cooperative agreement made possible by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with the assistance of the American people, that aims to transform TB prevention and care. Vaccine Preparedness is one of SMART4TB’s focus areas and this repository is an interactive platform that keeps track of, and provides an overview of completed, ongoing, and planned TB vaccine preparedness related projects.

The TB Vaccine Repository

How is the repository built?

A survey inquiring initiatives/studies that are implemented, ongoing, or planned regarding TB vaccine preparedness was shared among key stakeholders working in the field of TB and TB vaccine preparedness. Data collection was guided by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Framework to prepare for Country Introduction of New TB Vaccines for Adults and Adolescents and included availability, accessibility, acceptability and characteristics such as country, vaccine target group, and vaccine candidate. The first survey was sent out in April 2023 and updated in July/August of 2024. The repository will be updated semi-annually.

About the repository

The repository shows the world map and the intensity of the colour represents the number of projects within that country. On the left side, the user can select specific characteristics such as vaccine type, type of target population, and whether it is a completed, current or planned project. The worldmap will filter according to these characteristics.

Below the worldmap you can find the individual projects. By clicking on the project you will find a detailed description and resources whenever available. You can click on each separate category provided to find more information and projects related to it.

Updates and Feedback

Stakeholders interested and/or involved in TB vaccine preparedness projects are encouraged to share this repository. If you would like to include a project on completed, current, and future planned TB vaccine preparedness projects or provide an update in between the semi-annual updates, please please fill in this template and share it with Joeri Buis (Joeri.buis@kncvtbc.org).