WHO: Vaccines could help fight antimicrobial resistance, save lives

Vaccines against just 23 pathogens could reduce the number of antibiotics needed by 22% globally per year, the World Health Organization recently announced.

This month, the agency released a technical report that takes an in-depth look at the “under-recognized” role of vaccination in reducing antimicrobial resistance, which occurs when pathogens, fungi, bacteria and viruses no longer respond to antimicrobial drugs.

Up to 5 million deaths globally in 2019 can be attributed to antimicrobial resistance, the agency writes. Current and new vaccines could reduce that number, the report suggests, avoiding deaths and reducing antibiotic use, while reducing hospital costs and lost productivity.

The report looked at both available vaccines and vaccines in development. An international panel of vaccine experts ranked vaccines by how feasible they are to develop and implement and estimated their effects on antimicrobial resistance.

Vaccines against pneumonia, typhoid and Haemophilus influenzae type B, which causes pneumonia and meningitis, are already in use. Expanding their use could prevent greater antimicrobial resistance, the authors write.

They estimate that future vaccines against tuberculosis and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause pneumonia and infections in wounds and in the blood, could prevent more than 500,000 deaths related to antimicrobial resistance. Both vaccines are in development but not yet on the market.

Other pathogens considered in the report include the microbes behind norovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and gonorrhea.

“It is imperative that we not only accelerate the development of new vaccines, but also maximize the use of existing ones to protect global health and protect future generations,” says Bruce Aylward, deputy director-general of WHO’s universal health coverage, division of the life. in the report. “The time to act is now, using every tool available to mitigate this looming crisis.”

The panel urges policymakers to include vaccination among their plans to combat antimicrobial resistance for “maximum global impact.”