Greater use of vaccinations might reduce deaths from antimicrobial resistance
Vaccines can help tackle the global public health crisis by preventing infections and thus resistance to antibiotics
The greater use of vaccines against 23 pathogens could cut down current reliance on antibiotics by 22 percent or 2.5 billion doses a year worldwide, thus lessening the impact of antimicrobial resistance( AMR) and saving thousands of lives, according to the new World Health Organization( WHO) report Estimating the impact of vaccines in reducing antimicrobial resistance.
AMR happens when antimicrobial medicines become ineffective against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, making even common infections harder to treat and potentially fatal. The WHO says that roughly five million people die every year because of AMR, which is considered a top public health threat globally and is mostly caused by the overuse of antimicrobials like antibiotics. Wider use of vaccinations could reduce both the use of antibiotics and the emergence of resistant pathogens by preventing infections to begin with.
Some of these vaccines are already on the market but aren’ t used as widely as they could be, while others still need to be developed.
“ Addressing antimicrobial resistance starts with preventing infections, and vaccines are among the most powerful tools for doing that,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said in a press release.“ Prevention is better than cure, and increasing access to existing vaccines and developing new ones for critical diseases, like tuberculosis, is critical to saving lives and turning the tide on AMR.”
In particular, if the vaccine against typhoid were to be used at a faster rate in high-burden countries, 45 million antibiotic doses could be saved. Similarly, 25 million and 33 million antibiotic doses could be saved with improved malaria and streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination, respectively. New tuberculosis( TB) vaccines would have the biggest impact, saving 1.2 to 1.9 billion antibiotic doses, which amount to more than one tenth of the yearly antibiotic doses used globally against the infections covered in the report.
Such improvements would also save many lives. The WHO estimates that the current vaccines against
pneumococcus pneumonia, haemophilus influenzae type B( a bacteria that can cause pneumonia and meningitis), and typhoid could prevent up to 106,000 deaths linked to AMR. While new vaccines against TB, some of which are already in clinical trials, and klebsiella pneumoniae, which is in the early development stage, could save an additional 543,000 people.
Better vaccine use would also help cut hospital costs related to the treatment of resistant pathogens by a third. The WHO says these costs are estimated to be US $ 730 billion a year globally.
However, improved vaccination is just one essential component of a multi-pronged plan needed to reduce deaths associated with AMR, whose contributing factors include lack of access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene and poor access to quality diagnostics and medicines.
“ Vaccines must be part of a broader strategy that includes improved infection prevention, access to essential health services, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. By combining these efforts, we can build a resilient health care system that is capable of addressing the multifaceted challenge of AMR and ensuring a healthier future for all,” Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO assistant director-general for access to to medicines and health products and for antimicrobial resistance ad interim, said in the report.
“ Vaccines must be part of a broader strategy that includes improved infection prevention, access to essential health services, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.”
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