The role of vaccine banks in resilience, response and recovery in respect of animal diseases

Abstract

Veterinary vaccine banks, also referred to as vaccine stockpiles or vaccine strategic reserves, play an important role in the response to infectious animal diseases, by assisting control of the disease and resilience in recovering from its effects. Vaccine banks have a part to play in both emergencies and control programmes. The concept of vaccine banks was initially established as a countermeasure to an animal disease emergency or outbreak or the introduction of a new disease. They have increasingly been used to prevent important diseases identified by Veterinary Authorities as requiring a well-planned control programme through vaccination. Vaccine banks can consist of physical or virtual reserves, or the maintenance of production capacity. Physical reserves comprise vaccine antigen or readyto-use vaccines. Virtual reserves include inventory management by vaccine manufacturers. Maintenance of production capacity encompasses management of the vaccine seed material, and the maintenance of knowledge by the manufacturers through continued research into the target vaccines. The establishment, maintenance and implementation of vaccine banks depend on a number of prerequisites, which include a strategy for the physical or virtual vaccine stockpile, a legislative framework, regulatory arrangements, effective supply-chain mechanisms and adequate surveillance systems. Through international solidarity, vaccine banks are available and accessible to countries that do not have their own reserves. The World Organisation for Animal Health and European Union vaccine banks perform this task. Moreover, vaccine banks have facilitated access to important public health vaccines, such as rabies vaccines. These issues are discussed below, as well as potential opportunities for public-private partnerships in different aspects of vaccine banks.