Welcome to the 9th EAPS Congress Programme Scheduling

Abstract Body

Vaccines are preventing infections and disease and are each year averting millions of premature deaths. However, even though there is a public health need for vaccines against several more pathogens, both viruses and bacteria, many vaccine candidates are not pursued due to limited commercial potential. There have been calls for public private partnerships and collaboration to correct for this market failure. The devastating Ebola outbreak in three West African countries in 2014-15 provided an impetus for action. CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, was established informed by the experiences from testing Ebola vaccines during the West African outbreak. CEPI prioritized three epidemic pathogens, Lassa, Nipah and MERS, as well as flexible vaccine platforms. This allowed CEPI to be among the early investors in COVID-19 vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented efforts in developing new viral vaccines. The success of the mRNA platforms has given us a new vaccine technology that can be used for other diseases. The pandemic has also provided a momentum for political deliberations on how the world can be better prepared for epidemics and cross border infectious threats.