WHO Report Highlights Role of Vaccines in Reducing Antibiotic Use and Combating Resistance

New Delhi: Vaccines play a crucial role in preventing infections and reducing the use of antibiotics, thereby supporting global efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). The report revealed that vaccines targeting 24 pathogens could reduce antibiotic usage by 22 percent or 2.5 billion defined daily doses globally each year. Implementing vaccines for all these pathogens could also save a third of hospital costs related to AMR.

The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials are major contributors to the rise of AMR, which leads to more severe illness, increased mortality, and the spread of hard-to-treat infections. Annually, AMR claims nearly 5 million lives worldwide, according to the report.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized that “addressing antimicrobial resistance starts with preventing infections, and vaccines are among the most powerful tools for doing that.” He further urged global efforts to increase access to existing vaccines and develop new ones for critical diseases like tuberculosis (TB) to help fight AMR, as per IANS.

The release of the report follows commitments made by world leaders during the 79th UN General Assembly high-level meeting on AMR in September, where they pledged to reduce AMR-related deaths by 10 percent annually by 2030.

According to the WHO report, vaccines currently available for pneumococcus pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and typhoid could prevent up to 106,000 deaths linked to AMR each year. Moreover, the development and widespread distribution of new vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and Klebsiella pneumoniae could avert an additional 543,000 AMR-related deaths annually.

The report further highlighted that achieving the Immunization Agenda 2030 target—vaccinating 90 percent of children and older adults worldwide—could save 33 million antibiotic doses used against Streptococcus pneumoniae annually. Similarly, typhoid vaccines could save 45 million doses, while vaccines against malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum could save up to 25 million doses of antibiotics, which are often misused to treat malaria.

New TB vaccines, once developed, are projected to have the most significant impact, potentially saving between 1.2 to 1.9 billion antibiotic doses, according to IANS.