New TB vaccines could save 7.3 million lives, and Africa should prepare now
The first new tuberculosis vaccines in a century could arrive by 2029. Gavi says the countries that plan before approval will get them fastest, as they did with malaria.
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PANM — For more than a hundred years the world has had one tuberculosis vaccine, BCG. It protects babies and young children from severe disease, but does little against TB of the lungs in teenagers and adults, who drive most of its spread.
A new generation of TB vaccines aimed at exactly that gap could arrive as early as 2029, according to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in an interview published by allAfrica. Gavi estimates they could save 7.3 million lives between 2030 and 2050.
Why it matters for Africa
- TB kills about 1.2 million people a year, roughly one every 26 seconds.
- Africa has the highest TB case and death rates of any region, although diagnosis, treatment and prevention have improved.
- Gavi wants the new vaccines to reach the communities with the highest burden first, and says public health need, not wealth, should decide access.
What the numbers say
- Gavi's market roadmap estimates average global demand of 86 million vaccination courses a year.
- Its analysis suggests the vaccines could bring up to US$135 billion in economic benefits for low- and middle-income countries, through lower treatment costs and healthier, more productive adults.
- By preventing TB, they could also slow the spread of drug-resistant TB, which is long, difficult and expensive to treat.
Getting ready before 2029
The candidates still have to finish clinical trials and prove they are safe and effective. Gavi's Director of Vaccine Programmes, Emily Kobayashi, said preparation has to start well before approval.
Gavi points to the malaria vaccine as the model: preparation during its trials helped make it one of the fastest roll-outs in the alliance's history. For TB, that means:
- governments, manufacturers and partners estimating demand early, so factories invest in capacity in time
- African countries deciding how the vaccines would fit into immunisation and TB programmes, and who to vaccinate first
- financing and policy ready for the day the vaccines are licensed
Source: allAfrica, interview by Melody Chironda with Gavi, 15 October 2026.
