After being vaccinated for tuberculosis as an infant in the Kenyan county of Nakuru, Carol Mburu assumed she was protected against the world’s deadliest infectious disease. However, her TB diagnosis at the age of 22 confirmed the Bacille Calmette-Guérin, or BCG, vaccine’s ineffectiveness in protecting her beyond childhood.
The BCG vaccine — the only vaccine against TB — was introduced in 1921 and is one of the most widely administered vaccines in the world. But given its limited effectiveness, and the continued burden of TB globally, the century-old vaccine and stories like Mburu’s remind us of the urgent need to fund the development of new tools to address this disease that has been affecting humans for over 9,000 years.
While immunizations are one of the greatest public health achievements in human history, and the BCG vaccine has undoubtedly saved millions, we know vaccines are not a silver bullet. Addressing TB will require innovation across the range of care needs, from prevention to diagnosis to treatment.