Despite decades of global efforts to control STIs, which have a significant impact on sexual and reproductive health, by promoting healthier sexual behaviors, including increasing condom use, treating people with STI symptoms, and improving access to testing and treatment , global STI rates remain stubbornly high. high. Innovations are needed to combat STDs. The development of safe and effective STD vaccines has the potential to revolutionize the approach to STD prevention. STI Watch is a collaborative effort between WHO, the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the AIDS Vaccine Coalition (AVAC). WHO and NIAID together with other key stakeholders have developed a roadmap for the development and introduction of STD vaccines. The roadmap sets out next steps to accelerate STI vaccine development, including: assessing the public health need and value of new vaccines; defining preferred product characteristics; and outlining the pathway for vaccine development, evaluation and licensure. This collaboration was extended to AVAC to create an online clearinghouse for STD vaccines to raise their profile globally. Most STDs go untreated, often because they don’t cause symptoms. If left untreated, STIs are easily spread to others and can cause serious health consequences, including increased risk of HIV, infertility, adverse pregnancy outcomes and cancer. Vaccines currently exist for only 2 common STIs – human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus. Where widely implemented, these vaccines have led to significant reductions in cervical cancer and acute and chronic hepatitis. Currently, research into the development of vaccines against herpes simplex virus (HSV) and HIV is progressing but not complete. The development of a vaccine for gonorrhea is becoming increasingly promising. Randomized controlled trials using licensed vaccines against a related pathogen, Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB), are underway to evaluate whether these vaccines also prevent gonorrhea. A vaccine candidate for chlamydia has entered early clinical trials, and research studies for vaccines for syphilis and trichomoniasis are in the early stages of development.
