South African vaccinologist and public health leader Professor Shabir A. Madhi has been recognised with one of the world's leading infectious disease honours, underscoring his decades-long contribution to vaccine research that has helped save countless lives globally.
The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), a leading US-based public health organisation, announced that Madhi, from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) in Johannesburg, will receive the 2026 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement.
The award recognises scientists whose work has made lasting and influential contributions to the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
Madhi's recognition places a South African researcher at the forefront of global efforts to combat some of the world's deadliest childhood diseases and pandemic threats.
The NFID said the award honours Madhi's pioneering work in vaccine research, much of it conducted in Africa's highest-burden settings, which has reshaped international immunisation policies and improved disease prevention strategies worldwide.
Among his most influential achievements was leading a landmark South African study involving nearly 40 000 children that demonstrated the effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.
The findings helped support the approval of improved vaccines and advanced scientific understanding of how respiratory viruses and pneumococcal infections interact to cause pneumonia.
Today, pneumococcal vaccines are estimated to have prevented hundreds of thousands of child deaths globally.
Madhi has also played a pivotal role in research on rotavirus vaccines, helping generate evidence that informed global recommendations for their use in low- and middle-income countries, where severe diarrhoeal disease remains a major cause of child mortality.
His contributions extend beyond childhood immunisation. Widely regarded as a pioneer in maternal vaccination, Madhi led the world's first randomised controlled trial of influenza vaccination in pregnant women, demonstrating protection for both mothers and their infants.
He has also spearheaded groundbreaking research into maternal vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Group B Streptococcus.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Madhi again placed South Africa at the centre of global scientific efforts when he led Africa's first SARS-CoV-2 vaccine trials. The research provided critical early evidence that informed vaccine policy and public health responses during the pandemic.
Announcing the award, Orin S. Levine, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Washington Research Foundation, praised Madhi's impact on global health.
"Professor Madhi's work has directly shaped global immunisation policy and the research agenda," Levine said. "His career reflects the highest ideals of the Maxwell Finland Award: rigorous science, visionary leadership, and lasting global impact on infectious disease prevention."
Beyond his scientific achievements, Madhi has trained and mentored a new generation of vaccinologists and infectious disease researchers across Africa, helping strengthen the continent's research capacity and public health expertise.
Madhi will formally receive the Maxwell Finland Award at the NFID Awards Gala in Washington, DC, on 20 October 2026.
The 2026 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award will be presented to Dr Richard J. Hatchett, chief executive officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), in recognition of his leadership in global pandemic preparedness and vaccine development.
The 2026 John P. Utz Leadership Award will be awarded to Dr Kathleen M. Neuzil, director of Polio at the Gates Foundation and a globally respected expert in vaccinology and public health. – SAnews.gov.za
