9 dangerous diseases that could be prevented by vaccines within the next decade, from HIV to cancer
REUTERS/Karoly Arvai
Vaccines prime the body's immune system to fight an incoming infection; they've been credited with the widespread eradication of smallpox and the near-eradication of polio.
There have been many major advances to vaccines since their inception in the 1700s, but there are still many diseases for which no vaccine exists.
At the same time, researchers are finding ways to use the immune-system-triggering effects of vaccines to tackle unexpected diseases, such as cancer and drug addiction.
To get approved, vaccines need to show that they're both safe and effective at preventing diseases or - if they're used therapeutically - at activating the immune system to go after existing diseases. That process can take years or even decades.
Here are nine vaccines currently in development that could dramatically change how humans live.
- Having an regional accent can be bad for your interviews, especially an Indian one: study
- Dirty laundry? Major clothing companies like Zara and H&M under scrutiny for allegedly fuelling deforestation in Brazil
- 5 Best places to visit near Darjeeling
- Climate change could become main driver of biodiversity decline by mid-century: Study
- RBI initiates transition plan: Small finance banks to ascend to universal banking status