Is Schistosomiasis Vaccine Development Justified?
It could be argued that the success of SCI constitutes the justification needed for vaccine development, since an effective vaccine would add the necessary long-term perspective presently lacking in schistosomiasis control strategies. Moreover, the repositioning of vaccines as the solution to a chemotherapy problem would be a novel, revitalizing concept in a field where control activities have remained exclusively focused on morbidity reduction for too long. The revised strategy would combine immediate opportunity with the need for longer term support of ongoing discovery and skills development. Resistance against praziquantel in the future cannot be ruled out even if, after more than 20 years of large-scale application in some places, there is still no clear-cut evidence pointing in that direction. However, if (when) resistance does occur, a replacement drug must be available for immediate implementation. Otherwise, not only would the current strategy collapse, but the integrated drug
It could be argued that the success of SCI constitutes the justification needed for vaccine development, since an effective vaccine would add the necessary long-term perspective presently lacking in schistosomiasis control strategies. Moreover, the repositioning of vaccines as the solution to a chemotherapy problem would be a novel, revitalizing concept in a field where control activities have remained exclusively focused on morbidity reduction for too long. The revised strategy would combine immediate opportunity with the need for longer term support of ongoing discovery and skills development. Resistance against praziquantel in the future cannot be ruled out even if, after more than 20 years of large-scale application in some places, there is still no clear-cut evidence pointing in that direction. However, if (when) resistance does occur, a replacement drug must be available for immediate implementation. Otherwise, not only would the current strategy collapse, but the integrated drug
