South Africa Leads Race for First New TB Vaccine in 100 Years

South Africa is leading the charge to end a century-long wait for an effective tuberculosis vaccine, with three groundbreaking candidates now in final testing stages.

The world has relied on just one TB vaccine since 1921, the BCG shot given to newborns. While it protects babies from severe forms of the disease, it does little to stop the lung infections that spread TB from person to person.

That's about to change. The most promising candidate, called M72, recently showed 50% effectiveness at preventing TB disease in infected people. This marks the first time any vaccine has achieved this level of protection against the disease.

A massive trial involving 20,000 volunteers, including 13,000 South Africans, has just completed enrollment. Results are expected in 2028, and if successful, the vaccine could receive approval soon after.

Two other candidates are also racing toward the finish line. MTBVAC, a live vaccine similar to BCG but more effective, is being tested in both adults and newborns across South Africa. Meanwhile, BioNTech's mRNA vaccine harnesses the same technology that proved successful against COVID-19.

The urgency couldn't be greater. TB kills over 1.5 million people worldwide each year and remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet. An estimated 2 billion people carry dormant TB bacteria in their bodies, and up to 10% will eventually develop active disease.

In South Africa alone, TB claims more than 50,000 lives annually. Despite a 57% drop in new cases since 2015, the disease disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable communities where access to care remains limited.

The new vaccines target the people who need protection most: those living with HIV, healthcare workers exposed on the job, and young adults who drive transmission. A successful vaccine could also help combat the rising threat of drug-resistant TB strains.

The Ripple Effect

South African researchers aren't just participating in these trials. They're leading them, bringing decades of TB research expertise to bear on a problem that has plagued humanity for millions of years.

The COVID-19 pandemic proved that science can move with breathtaking speed when resources match urgency. These TB vaccine trials represent a similar mobilization of talent and funding, finally giving this ancient disease the attention it deserves.

For families who've lost loved ones to TB, for the millions currently infected, and for communities where the disease still spreads unchecked, these trials represent more than scientific progress. They represent hope that a preventable disease will finally become a preventable reality.

By 2028, the world could have its first truly effective TB vaccine, ending a hundred-year drought and saving millions of lives in the process.