GSK on Friday announced that it is convening leading experts in vaccines and sustainability at a scientific meeting on the theme ‘Vaccines for a sustainable planet’. 65 experts across immunology, vaccinology, epidemiology and policy will gather on 7-8 July in Siena, Italy.
“Latest scientific evidence has shown climate change, nature loss and human health are deeply interconnected. The threat of infectious disease is growing as data show environmental changes are exacerbating respiratory health issues, increasing the spread of diseases such as malaria, and fostering antimicrobial resistance. The health impacts of environmental change also disproportionately affect underserved groups, including people in low- and middle-income countries,” it stated on Friday.
Meanwhile, this evidence emphasises the importance of disease prevention in building health resilience through the use and equitable distribution of vaccines and environmental interventions.
To address these issues, plenary sessions and working group discussions at Palio 2022 will focus on:
· How can vaccines mitigate the effects of environmental change?
· Strategically developing vaccines to prevent human-animal disease transmission
· Prioritizing pathogens for AMR vaccine development
· The role of vaccines in protecting microbial diversity
· Ensuring equitable access to vaccines in the future: How can we do this?
· Maximizing the impact of vaccines on sustainable development goals
Meanwhile, speakers at this year’s event include Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the NIH, and Muhammad Ali Pate, Global Director of Health, Population and Nutrition at the World Bank.
“With global health issues becoming increasingly severe as the pace of environmental change accelerates, disease prevention is becoming ever more important. Vaccines have a key role in responding to these threats. Palio is a much-needed opportunity for the scientific community to reflect on how we can maximise the impact of vaccines,” Rino Rappuoli, Head External R&D & Chief Vaccine Scientist, GSK, and initiator of the Palio meeting series, said in a statement.
“Vaccines have an important role in protecting people’s health yet our understanding on their wider impact, such as reducing the spread and risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria, is still emerging. Palio 2022 highlights there is growing recognition of the interconnections between health, climate and nature, and the scientific community must use these moments to build knowledge and ultimately find solutions for global healthcare and sustainability challenges,” Eliora Ron, Professor of Microbiology, Tel-Aviv University, and President of IUMS (International Union of Microbiological Societies) stated.
