Control of parasitic diseases: a complementary role for vaccines and drugs

This paper seeks to substantiate its title by discussion of three key questions: why are we attempting to develop parasite vaccines? Will we be successful? If we are, will there still be a need for chemotherapy? It concludes that: parasite vaccines are likely to be safer, cheaper and more efficacious as prophylactics than antiparasite drugs; in time vaccines will be developed for some but not all human parasitic diseases; at least in the short and medium term, drugs will be needed for those already infected and for those for whom, for whatever reason, a vaccination strategy fails.