WATCH | EXPLAINER: First new TB vaccine in 100 years? What you need to know

For more than a century, the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine given to babies shortly after birth has been the world’s only licensed vaccine against tuberculosis.

Now, scientists are testing what could become the first new TB vaccine in more than 100 years, with Phase 3 clinical trials under way in SA and several other countries.

For a country among those with the highest TB burden globally, the vaccine could mark a major breakthrough if proved safe and effective, according to Gaurang Tanna, senior TB programme officer at the Gates Foundation.

“Tuberculosis remains the highest cause of deaths from an infectious agent globally. Vaccines that prevent TB could play a major role in helping to reduce the TB burden in countries, but I wouldn’t say it’s a messiah for TB,” he said.

Tanna said that finding and treating people with TB remained a challenge. He said TB symptoms could be confused with other conditions or missed, and people with TB then went untreated.

“When you cough repeatedly, you don’t really know whether you have TB or not. Even when you present to clinics with symptoms, these may be missed by nurses and doctors, resulting in the ongoing spread of TB in communities. Undiagnosed TB can result in death.

“We need to raise awareness that a chronic cough could be TB, so that people present for testing. Once TB is picked up and one is initiated on treatment, TB can be cured within six months. While the vaccine reduces the risk of developing TB, it doesn’t take away the need to test people and initiate them on treatment.”

He said access to the vaccine would be a major issue, particularly in communities with high rates of HIV, poverty and overcrowding, which all predispose to TB.

“Access is as important as having an effective vaccine because if you don’t vaccinate a large group, you won’t really get the protective effect. For the sake of ensuring equitable access, we will need to prioritise communities or districts with a high TB prevalence. I would expect the vaccine to be provided for free, just like the Covid vaccine, to ensure access.”

Tanna said it was not yet clear when the vaccine trials would end and, if the vaccine was effective, when it would enter the market.

The department of health has welcomed the vaccine and confirmed that preparatory work to ensure timely access for South Africans is part of ongoing efforts to eliminate the epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.

Sowetan