The TB Vaccine Accelerator Council meets for the fourth time

The Tuberculosis Vaccine Accelerator Council, established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023, met on 19 May in Geneva on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly. Ministers and delegates from Brazil, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian Federation, and South Africa participated in the meeting, along with representatives of civil society, the Gates Foundation, World Bank, Gavi, the Global Fund, Unitaid, Wellcome Trust, and the Stop TB Partnership.

Key focus areas discussed during the meeting included elevating domestic financing as a national priority to advance the Accelerator's widely endorsed priorities, while strengthening country ownership, preparedness, advocacy, and community partnerships to accelerate and ensure availability and access to new TB vaccines for adults and adolescents to end tuberculosis.

The Council also reviewed progress achieved by its three working groups in the context of the recommendations from the 2025 Council meeting, including the establishment of the Working Group on Country Readiness, Advocacy and Community Partnership; efforts to expand domestic financing and regionally-diversified manufacturing of novel TB vaccines to promote long-term sustainability and equitable access; and work to evaluate the potential public health impact of new TB vaccines within an integrated approach to TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care.

The meeting built on the first TB Vaccine Accelerator Forum, hosted by WHO in Geneva from 27-28 April, that brought together global, regional and country-level health leaders, funders, vaccine developers, TB advocates and other partners to reinforce the public health need for and potential impact of novel TB vaccines and explore further collaboration across all three working groups of the Council. Efficacy data for new TB vaccines for adults and adolescents remain on track to be available in 2028, so strategic co-ordination and vaccine preparedness remain more important than ever.