Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative (HHVI)

The Human Hookworm Vaccine Initiative (HHVI) champions research and development for the estimated 576 million people suffering from hookworm in the world today. Established in 2000 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the HHVI is the first and only program that aims to reduce human suffering caused by human hookworm through research and development, timely dissemination of results, innovation, and advocacy.

What is Hookworm Infection?

Hookworm is an intestinal parasite most commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical climates of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Hookworm, one of three members of a family of parasites known as the soil-transmitted helminths (STHs), are half-inch long worms that attach themselves to the intestinal wall and feed on human blood. Left untreated, hookworm causes severe intestinal blood loss leading to iron-deficiency anemia and protein malnutrition, particularly in pregnant women and children. Chronic hookworm infection in children contributes to physical and intellectual impairment, learning difficulties and poor school performance. This often leads to an under-achieving workforce in already economically depressed communities, thereby perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

The Promise of a Vaccine

The HHVI has identified several candidate antigens for the human hookworm vaccine. Following independent safety testing of two promising antigens––Na-GST-1 and Na-APR-1––the human hookworm vaccine under development will ultimately incorporate both antigens in a bivalent vaccine together with an adjuvant. HHVI is focused on developing and testing a vaccine to prevent moderate to severe hookworm infection in children younger than 10-years-old living in endemic areas. The goal is to reduce the anemia, delayed physical growth, and impaired cognitive development caused by the hookworm infection.

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