WWith humanitarian funding cut by the United States and other countries, including the United Kingdom, this year’s global health headlines were bleak reading. But good things are still happening in vaccine research and the development of new and improved treatments for some of the most intractable diseases.
Millions of girls are protected from cervical cancer
The goal of protecting 86 million girls from cervical cancer by the end of 2025 has been achieved ahead of schedule, raising experts’ hopes that cervical cancer can be eliminated. Eliminate it in the next century.
The vaccine alliance GAVI launched the HPV vaccination program in 2014, when vaccine coverage in Africa was just 4%. By the end of 2022, the percentage was only 15%, but scientists found out A single dose can give similar protection to the two doses originally used. This would facilitate the implementation of vaccination programmes, and double supplies.
In 2023, Jaffe announced his ambition The goal is to protect 86 million girls by 2025 A coordinated campaign saw coverage rise in Africa. By the end of 2024, the proportion reached 44%, higher than Europe’s 38%.
In November, Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of GAVI, credited “countries, partners, civil society and local communities” for reaching the 86 million target early, and “driving significant global progress towards eliminating one of the deadliest diseases affecting women.”
Cervical cancer remains common and fatal in poor areas of the world – 85% of new cases It is found in sub-Saharan Africa A woman dies from the disease every two minutes.
But a vaccine against the virus could prevent 17.4 deaths for every 1,000 children vaccinated, according to Gavi, meaning 86 million vaccinations would prevent an estimated 1.4 million cervical cancer deaths.
The first new type of malaria treatment in decades
After successful clinical trials, it is the first new type of malaria treatment in decades to gain regulatory approval. Janlum, from pharmaceutical company Novartis, outperformed the standard treatment by showing a cure rate of 99.2% compared to 96.7%.
Importantly, it is also effective against malaria parasites that have developed resistance to artemisinin, a component of current standard treatment.
Drug resistance to artemisinin is a growing concern. In the 1990s, Chloroquine resistanceDr. George Jago of the Malaria Drugs Project says standard treatment for malaria has led to millions of deaths. He said at the conference that the prospect of an anti-malarial drug like Janlum gives a “feeling of relief.” American Society of Tropical Medicine and HygieneThe annual meeting is like having a fire extinguisher ready to use.
Researchers also hope that Janlum will be more effective in stopping transmission, because of how it affects parasites at certain stages of their life cycle.
“Janlum could represent the biggest advance in malaria treatment in decades,” says Dr. Abdoulaye Gemede, a professor of parasitology and mycology at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies in Bamako, Mali, who was involved in developing the drug. “Drug resistance is a growing threat to Africa, so new treatment options cannot come too soon.”
More countries eliminate Measles
Cape Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles became the countries The top three countries in sub-Saharan Africa To officially eliminate measles and rubella.
This achievement came despite a rise in measles cases around the world, with an estimated 11 million infections in 2024. In November, the Americas region saw She lost her measles-free status Due to the outbreak in Canada, while the United States is facing its worst outbreak in decades.
The success of the three African countries has been described as a “major public health achievement.”
“This shows what can be achieved when countries put prevention first and make vaccines a priority,” says Dr. Mohamed Al-Janabi, Director of the World Health Organization in Africa.
“We must build on this success so that every child in Africa can grow up healthy and protected.”
Twenty-one Pacific Island countries also eliminated measles and rubella this year. This status means they have stopped transmission of the endemic disease for more than three years, and they also have surveillance systems in place to quickly catch and contain any cases coming into the country.
Botswana and Rwanda have achieved 95% vaccination coverage against measles and rubella, the standard required to stop transmission.
Globally, measles deaths have decreased 88% between 2000 and 2024A World Health Organization report concluded that the measles vaccine has saved nearly 59 million lives since 2000.
A new drug to prevent HIV
A drug touted as a potential “game-changer” for the HIV epidemic arrived in sub-Saharan Africa within months of its approval in the United States.
Lenacapavir, given as an injection twice a year, can almost completely prevent HIV infection. It was approved by US regulators in June, and recommended by the World Health Organization in July.
Manufacturer Gilead has signed agreements with six generic drug manufacturers, allowing it to produce cheaper versions for use in 120 countries. They will be provided at about $40 (£30) per patient for a year under deals with Unitaid and the Global Fund.
Until this production comes online, Gilead is committed to making lenacapavir available at no profit to up to 2 million people over the next two years. In november, The first shipments have arrived in Eswatini and Zambia. The rollout is expected to begin in early 2026.
Activists say access to the drug needs to go further — poor communities in countries excluded from Gilead’s generic agreements will still struggle to afford the drug, with a list price of US$28,218 for a one-year treatment for one person. The drug will need to be widely disseminated to stop the wave of new infections. Funding for HIV services is also fragile.
Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund, said the introduction of this technology in low- and middle-income countries is “almost synchronized with high-income countries.” […] This alone represents a major achievement, as previous HIV prevention drugs took an average of five years to become available in these settings after evidence of their effectiveness first emerged.
advances in Fight Tuberculosis
Since it was named in 1882, it has killed tuberculosis More than a billion people It remains the world’s leading killer of infectious diseases.
But treatment options are advancing at a rapid pace. There are four vaccines In their final exams stages; Easier to use tests, incl Simple tongue swabscan improve detection; The new treatment could enhance cure rates and shorten the time needed to treat tuberculosis.
The new antibiotic, sorviquiline, showed a stronger effect than existing treatments in trial results presented at the World Federation for Lung Health Congress in November.
“Science continues to move forward, to the benefit of health care systems, people with TB, their families and their communities,” says Dr. Mel Spiegelman, president of the TB Alliance, which developed the drug.
The advance builds on a new regimen for people with more complex forms of TB, introduced in 2019, which itself shortened treatment from more than 18 months to six months.
Replacing one drug in this regimen with sorvecoline could shorten the treatment period further, with further trials planned for 2026.
“Goals that once seemed quite ambitious, such as eliminating tuberculosis, are becoming increasingly possible because of developments such as sorviquiline,” says Dr Rod Dawson of the University of Cape Town’s Lung Institute. “But we have a lot of work to do and we cannot stop until TB is no longer a threat.”