Passport Health logo
Find a Clinic:
Vaccinations|Find a Travel Clinic|Advice
  • Home
    • About
        • Company History
        • Executive Team
        • Careers
        • Contact Us
        • Customer Feedback
        • FAQ
        • Media Kit
        • Mission Statement
        • Passport Health App
        • Privacy Policy
    • Blogs
      • Main
      • Employer Solutions
      • Passports and Visas
    • Close
  • Destination Advice
    • Top Destinations
        • COVID-19 Testing
        • Domestic COVID-19 Restrictions
        • International COVID-19 Restrictions
        • Fit to Fly
        • Brazil
        • China
        • Costa Rica
        • India
        • Kenya
        • Peru
        • Philippines
        • South Africa
        • Thailand
        • Vietnam
    • Destination Advice
        • Tips and recommendations for healthy travel to any destination:

          • Afghanistan
          • Albania
          • Algeria
          • American Samoa
          • Andorra
          • Angola
          • Anguilla
          • Antarctica
          • Antigua and Barbuda
          • Argentina
          • Armenia
          • Aruba
          • Australia
          • Austria
          • Azerbaijan
          • Azores
          • Bahamas
          • Bahrain
          • Balearics
          • Bangladesh
          • Barbados
          • Belarus
          • Belgium
          • Belize
          • Benin
          • Bermuda
          • Bhutan
          • Bolivia
          • Bonaire
          • Bora Bora
          • Bosnia
          • Botswana
          • Brazil
          • British Virgin Islands
          • Brunei
          • Bulgaria
          • Burkina Faso
          • Burma
          • Burundi
          • Cambodia
          • Cameroon
          • Canada
          • Canary Islands
          • Cape Verde
          • Cayman Islands
          • Central African Republic
          • Chad
          • Chile
          • China
          • Christmas Island
          • Cocos (Keeling) Islands
          • Colombia
          • Comoros
          • Cook Islands
          • Costa Rica
          • Cote d'Ivoire
          • Croatia
          • Cuba
          • Curacao
          • Cyprus
          • Czechia
          • Democratic Republic of the Congo
          • Denmark
          • Djibouti
          • Dominica
          • Dominican Republic
          • East Timor
          • Easter Island
          • Ecuador
          • Egypt
          • El Salvador
          • Equatorial Guinea
          • Eritrea
          • Estonia
          • Ethiopia
          • Falkland Islands
          • Faroe Islands
          • Fiji
          • Finland
          • France
          • French Guiana
          • French Polynesia
          • Gabon
          • Gambia
          • Georgia
          • Germany
          • Ghana
          • Gibraltar
          • Greece
          • Greenland
          • Grenada
          • Guadeloupe
          • Guam
          • Guatemala
          • Guinea
          • Guinea-Bissau
          • Guyana
          • Haiti
          • Hawaii
          • Honduras
          • Hong Kong
          • Hungary
          • Ibiza
          • Iceland
          • India
          • Indonesia
          • Iran
          • Iraq
          • Ireland
          • Israel
          • Italy
          • Jamaica
          • Japan
          • Jordan
          • Kazakhstan
          • Kenya
          • Kiribati
          • Kosovo
          • Kuwait
          • Kyrgyzstan
          • Laos
          • Latvia
          • Lebanon
          • Lesotho
          • Liberia
          • Libya
          • Liechtenstein
          • Lithuania
          • Luxembourg
          • Macau
          • Macedonia
          • Madagascar
          • Madeira Islands
          • Malawi
          • Malaysia
          • Maldives
          • Mali
          • Malta
          • Marshall Islands
          • Martinique
          • Mauritania
          • Mauritius
          • Mayotte
          • Mexico
          • Micronesia
          • Moldova
          • Monaco
          • Mongolia
          • Montenegro
          • Montserrat
          • Morocco
          • Mozambique
          • Namibia
          • Nauru
          • Nepal
          • Netherlands
          • New Caledonia
          • New Zealand
          • Nicaragua
          • Niger
          • Nigeria
          • Niue
          • Norfolk Island
          • North Korea
          • Northern Marianas
          • Norway
          • Oman
          • Pakistan
          • Palau
          • Palestinian Territories
          • Panama
          • Papua New Guinea
          • Paraguay
          • Peru
          • Philippines
          • Pitcairn Islands
          • Poland
          • Portugal
          • Puerto Rico
          • Qatar
          • Republic of the Congo
          • Réunion
          • Romania
          • Russia
          • Rwanda
          • Saba
          • St. Barthelemy
          • Saint Helena
          • St. Kitts and Nevis
          • St. Lucia
          • Saint Martin
          • St. Pierre-et-Miquelon
          • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
          • Samoa
          • San Marino
          • Sao Tome and Principe
          • Saudi Arabia
          • Senegal
          • Serbia
          • Seychelles
          • Sierra Leone
          • Singapore
          • Sint Eustatius
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Solomon Islands
          • Somalia
          • South Africa
          • South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands
          • South Korea
          • South Sudan
          • Spain
          • Sri Lanka
          • Sudan
          • Suriname
          • Swaziland
          • Sweden
          • Switzerland
          • Syria
          • Tahiti
          • Taiwan
          • Tajikistan
          • Tanzania
          • Thailand
          • Togo
          • Tokelau
          • Tonga
          • Trinidad and Tobago
          • Tunisia
          • Turkey
          • Turkmenistan
          • Turks and Caicos Islands
          • Tuvalu
          • U.S. Virgin Islands
          • Uganda
          • Ukraine
          • United Arab Emirates
          • United Kingdom
          • United States
          • Uruguay
          • Uzbekistan
          • Vanuatu
          • Vatican
          • Venezuela
          • Vietnam
          • Wake Island
          • Western Sahara
          • Yemen
          • Zambia
          • Zimbabwe
    • Close
  • Travel Medicine
    • Travel Medical Services
        • Vaccines for Travel
        • Travel Health Consulting
        • Travelers’ Diarrhea Medicine
        • Dengue Fever Prevention
        • Malaria Medication
        • Chikungunya Prevention
        • Zika Virus Prevention
        • Coronavirus
        • Ebola Virus
        • Travel Health Alerts
    • Additional Travel Services
      • Travel Physicals
      • Motion Sickness Medicine
      • Travel Insurance
      • Physician Referral Program
      • Online Store
    • Close
  • Vaccines
    • Overview
        • Anthrax
        • Chickenpox
        • Cholera
        • Hepatitis A
        • Hepatitis B
        • Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
        • Japanese Encephalitis
        • Malaria Information
        • Measles – Mumps – Rubella (MMR)
        • Meningitis
        • Pneumonia
        • Polio
        • Rabies
        • Shingles
        • Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis
        • Typhoid
        • Yellow Fever
    • Influenza (The Flu)
        • Learn more about your flu vaccine options

          • Flublok®: Egg Free, Cell Based
          • High Dose
          • Quadrivalent
    • Routine Tests
      • COVID-19 Testing
      • TB Tests
      • Titer Testing
    • Routine Vaccinations
      • Overview
    • Close
  • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Services
      • COVID-19 Testing
      • COVID-19 Domestic Restrictions
      • COVID-19 International Restrictions
      • COVID-19 Vaccine
      • Fit to Fly
      • Fit for Duty
    • Close
  • For Employers
    • Corporate Wellness Solutions
      • COVID-19 Services
      • Occupational Vaccines
      • Onsite Flu Clinics
      • Onsite Biometric Screenings
      • Employee Wellness
      • Employment Physicals
    • Corporate Travel Solutions
      • Travel Medicine and Vaccinations
      • Passport and Visa Services
      • Pre-Deployment Exams
    • Close
  • Online Store
    • Passport Health Store
      • COVID-19 Protection Kit
      • Travelers’ Diarrhea Kits
      • Mosquito Repellents
    • Close
  • Locations
      • United States Map for Locations New Jersey Massachusetts Oregon Nevada South Dakota Montana Wisconsin California Kansas North Dakota Idaho Illinois Michigan Missouri Utah Indiana Louisiana Iowa Florida Georgia Washington Tennessee Alabama Mississippi Arkansas Arizona North Carolina Pennsylvania Ohio Kentucky South Carolina Virginia New Hampshire Rhode Island West Virginia New York Vermont Maine Connecticut Nebraska Oklahoma Colorado Wyoming Maryland Delaware New Mexico Texas Alaska Minnesota New Hampshire Vermont Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New Jersey Delaware Maryland Hawaii District of Columbia
        Canada Locations Canada Locations
        Mexico Locations Mexico Locations
    • Close
  • Locations
      • United States FlagUnited States
    • Close

Why Can’t We Develop Vaccines Faster During an Epidemic?

July 23, 2020 By Will Sowards Leave a Comment

Even during a global epidemic, it can take surprisingly long to develop a vaccine.

Time and time again, when the world has faced its most dangerous epidemics, its hero has come in the form of a needle and a vial.

From polio to measles to smallpox, countless scientists and researchers have found the solution. The CDC estimates that, among children born in the last 20 years, vaccines will prevent more than 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths.

Developing, testing and rolling out a new vaccination is no easy task. This lengthy and complex process is often frustrating in the midst of an epidemic. Pressure mounts when a vaccine is needed right at the moment, rather than sometime in the future.

Since 2015, the world has faced a particularly challenging epidemic: Zika.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that can also spread via sexual intercourse. The virus is particularly dangerous for pregnant women, with a link to birth defects like microcephaly. Since the outbreak began, the world has been eagerly awaiting a Zika vaccine. But, even after a push from government officials, we still don’t have a miracle solution.

Luckily, we are getting closer to a viable Zika vaccine. One vaccine candidate is currently in the second trial of human testing.

While this progress is promising, it raises an important question: Why does it take so long to develop a vaccine during an epidemic in the first place?

For starters, viruses are complex to work with. To develop a vaccine, researchers have to determine which part of the virus causes an immune response. This process is even more complicated with different strains that mutate.

Even once researchers determine which part provokes an immune response, the process is only beginning. They have to develop a viable vaccine and work through seemingly endless phases of trial testing.

The public often forgets that animals play a crucial role in vaccine development.

Scientists have to find an animal that are affected by the virus in the same way as humans. Even after that time-consuming task, the animal may respond differently to the vaccine.

But, after years or even decades of experimenting, they create a viable vaccine.

Next come the human trials. Thanks to the enhanced risks of working on humans, this process has an even greater uphill battle.

Researchers start with a very small group of volunteers that grows with each stage of testing. With a new set of tests, the researchers have to find greater amounts of participants. By the final stage, more than 100,000 people are needed for testing. From subject matter to potential risks, participants receive all the information about the trials. This finally leads to a signed consent form for every person before the trial even begins.

By the end of trials, years have passed. Companies have possibly poured hundreds of dollars into the process. Things don’t get cheaper with the next step: manufacturing.

Not only do researchers need to raise money to make the vaccine, they need this breakthrough to be inexpensive. Otherwise, the public can’t afford the immunization that they need. They also need to factor in costs for transporting the vaccine to remote locations. The balancing act of costs in manufacturing just creates a slower development process.

Luckily, the scientific community recognizes the problem of lengthy vaccine development.

One group in particular is working to predict epidemics before they begin. Rather than waiting for a global outbreak to begin, the vaccines can be developed and stockpiled beforehand.

Any questions about vaccine development? Did we miss any details about the process? Let us know in the comments, or via Facebook and Twitter.

Written for Passport Health by Mia Armstrong. Mia is a freelance writer and avid traveler. She is passionate about seeing the world and telling its stories.

Filed Under: General Posts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Do you need your passport or visa in a hurry?

Passport Icon

Get your travel
documents ASAP!

Why Use a Travel Medicine Specialist?

Countless Considerations, Even for Just One Destination!

We Can Answer

  • Which vaccines are required?
  • Which vaccines may be recommended?
  • Which medications do I need?
  • What Travel Supplies do I need?

And much more

Do you need travel vaccines?

Schedule an appointment with your local Passport Health Travel Medicine Specialist

Find a Passport Health Clinic

Latest health alerts for international travelers

International Health Alerts

INFLUENZA Worldwide
June '19 – According to the CDC, annual vaccination against seasonal influenza is recommended for ...

YELLOW FEVER in Argentina, Brazil, Congo, Republic of the, Nigeria, Peru, Suriname, Uganda
June '19 - Case numbers for yellow fever are thought to be greatly under-reported; the World Health...

More Health Alert Information»

Recent Blog Posts

  • How Does Measles Spread? A New Study Gives Answers
  • The Necessary and Unfortunate Identity of “Patient Zero”
  • What Was The Plague of Justinian? How A Single Outbreak Killed 10% Of The World’s Population.
  • Tips To Stay Safe While Traveling Alone

Blog Archives

  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Clinical Trials
  • Contact Us
  • Records Requests
  • Passport Health App
  • Privacy Center
  • Online Store
  • Sitemap
Schedule Your Appointment:
Questions? Please call or E-mail Us
FIRST CLASS MEDICAL CARE
FOR TRAVEL ANYWHERE®

Connect With Us:

Passport Health on Facebook
Passport Health on Twitter
Passport Health on YouTube
Passport Health on Instagram
Passport Health on Linked In
Passport Health Feed

Passport Health is an Outlier business Copyright © 2021