Report on the first WHO integrated meeting on development and clinical trials of influenza vaccines that induce broadly protective and long-lasting immune responses: Hong Kong SAR, China, 24-26 January 2013.

On January 24-26, 2013, the World Health Organization convened the first integrated meeting on "The development and clinical trials of vaccines that induce broadly protective and long-lasting immune responses" to review the current status of development and clinical evaluation of novel influenza vaccines as well as strategies to produce and deliver vaccines in novel ways. Special attention was given to the development of possible universal influenza vaccines. Other topics that were addressed included an update on clinical trials of pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccines in high-risk groups and vaccine safety, as well as regulatory issues.

Report of the 7th meeting on Evaluation of Pandemic Influenza Vaccines in Clinical Trials, World Health Organization, Geneva, 17-18 February 2011.

On February 17-18, 2011, the World Health Organization convened the 7th meeting on "The Evaluation of Pandemic Influenza Vaccines in Clinical Trials" to review the progress made on pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 vaccines and the evaluation of their effectiveness in the field, especially in children less than 3 years of age and in pregnant women. Other topics to be addressed included a comparison of egg- and cell culture-based influenza vaccines, technical issues related to vaccine strain development and vaccine potency, and the status of development of prototype influenza vaccines using new technologies. Pandemic A (H1N1) vaccines were safe in young children, pregnant women and immunocompromized individuals.

WHO initiative to increase global and equitable access to influenza vaccine in the event of a pandemic: supporting developing country production capacity through technology transfer.

Should a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, such as the H5N1 virus type currently circulating in birds, become transmissible among humans, an effective vaccine, rapidly available in vast quantities, would be the best tool to prevent high case-fatalities and the breakdown of health and social services. The number of vaccine doses that could be produced on demand has risen sharply over the last few years; however, it is still alarmingly short of the 13 billion doses that would be needed if two doses were required to protect fully the world's population. Most developing countries would be last in the queue to benefit from a pandemic vaccine.

Report of the 6th meeting on the evaluation of pandemic influenza vaccines in clinical trials World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 17-18 February 2010.

On February 17-18, 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened the 6th meeting on the "Evaluation of pandemic influenza vaccines in clinical trials" to review the progress made on new A (H1N1) 2009 vaccines and prototype H5N1 vaccines and their evaluation in clinical trials. A number of vaccine types were reviewed, including classical egg-derived and cell culture-derived inactivated vaccines, such as split virus or whole-virion vaccines, and live-attenuated vaccines (LAIV), as well as vaccines developed using new technologies. The amount of antigen needed, the effect of adjuvants and the number of doses required to induce adequate antibody responses in various populations, together with the issue of safety of the vaccines, were major topics of the meeting.

Report of the fourth meeting on 'Influenza vaccines that induce broad spectrum and long-lasting immune responses', World Health Organization and Wellcome Trust, London, United Kingdom, 9-10 November 2009.

Current influenza vaccines are limited by the need for annual immunisation, frequent antigenic updating to match the evolution of circulating influenza virus strains, and reduced efficacy in elderly persons. On 9-10 November 2009, the Initiative for Vaccine Research of the World Health Organization convened jointly with the Wellcome Trust in London, United Kingdom, the fourth meeting on 'Influenza vaccines that induce broad spectrum and long-lasting immune responses'. Presentations were made by representatives from industry, academia, governmental and non-governmental organisations.

A global pandemic influenza vaccine action plan.

In case of an influenza pandemic, the world will be in a situation where potential vaccine supply will fall short by several billion doses from global needs. The World Health Organization (WHO) convened in Geneva on May 2-3, 2006 a consultation of all stakeholders in influenza vaccines and immunization to identify practical solutions to fill this gap. The consultation resulted in a global action plan outlining promising specific strategies to increase influenza vaccine production and surge-capacity before and during an influenza pandemic.

Report of the second meeting on the development of influenza vaccines that induce broad-spectrum and long-lasting immune responses, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 6-7 December 2005.

New influenza vaccines that induce broad-spectrum and long-lasting immune responses and provide protection against divergent influenza viruses could overcome problems with the current vaccination strategy, based on annual intervention, better suit the needs of developing countries and contribute to epidemic and potential pandemic control. The World Health Organization held a consultation to review the current status of research in the area of influenza vaccines and to establish a research agenda for the development of such influenza vaccine. The main conclusions and recommendations from this consultation are presented below.

A review of vaccine research and development: human acute respiratory infections.

Worldwide, acute respiratory infections (ARIs) constitute the leading cause of acute illnesses, being responsible for nearly 4 million deaths every year, mostly in young children and infants in developing countries. The main infectious agents responsible for ARIs include influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3), Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. While effective vaccines against influenza, H.

Transgenic mice as an alternative to monkeys for neurovirulence testing of live oral poliovirus vaccine: validation by a WHO collaborative study.

Objective: Extensive WHO collaborative studies were performed to evaluate the suitability of transgenic mice susceptible to poliovirus (TgPVR mice, strain 21, bred and provided by the Central Institute for Experimental Animals, Japan) as an alternative to monkeys in the neurovirulence test (NVT) of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV).

Methods: Nine laboratories participated in the collaborative study on testing neurovirulence of 94 preparations of OPV and vaccine derivatives of all three serotypes in TgPVR21 mice.

Findings: Statistical analysis of the data demonstrated that the TgPVR21 mouse NVT was of comparable sensitivity and reproducibility to the conventional WHO NVT in simians.

The role of the World Health Organization in the control of rickettsial diseases.

The World Health Organization (WHO) pays great attention to the problem of rickettsial diseases. A network exists of Collaborating Centres for Rickettsial Reference and Research, which are designated by WHO. A WHO Consultation on the Laboratory Diagnosis of Rickettsial Diseases was held in 1987.