The number of lives saved is even higher when considering vaccine candidates in development.
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Up to 106,000 deaths related to antibiotic resistance each year could be prevented if uptake of some vaccines around the world is improved, according to a new analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO). be.
Vaccines can help prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where people’s overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture has fueled the emergence of hard-to-treat “superbugs” and left hospitals with few options for managing infections. ) is considered an important tool in the fight against
Researchers estimate that more than 39 million people could die from antibiotic-resistant infections over the next 25 years, and world leaders recently announced that they are targeting a 10% reduction in deaths by 2030. promised to reduce it.
Widespread distribution of vaccines against 24 major pathogens could reduce global antibiotic use by 22 percent, according to a new report.
Increasing immunization protects people from infections and reduces the need for second- and third-line antibiotics if they become ill later.
“We have known for many years that vaccines could play a role in controlling (AMR),” Dr. Martin Friede, head of WHO’s vaccine research department, told reporters.
However, he added, “To date, we still cannot say which vaccines can have what effects, and what the actual effects are.”
There are also financial benefits, with researchers saying existing vaccines could avoid $861 million (about €772 million) in hospital costs and $5.9 billion (about €5.3 billion) in lost productivity annually. I’m guessing.
“Treatment of (antibiotic)-resistant infections is incredibly expensive,” said Dr. Mateusz Hasso-Agopsovic, lead author of the report and technical director of WHO’s immunization division.
Vaccines in development could save more lives
Meanwhile, the availability of late-stage vaccine candidates could save an additional 135,000 deaths a year, as well as $1.2 billion (about 1.1 billion euros) in hospital costs and $2.2 billion (about 2 billion euros). productivity losses could be avoided. A report was found.
Global health experts are excited about the possibility of a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB), which accounted for about 23% of vaccine-preventable AMR-related deaths in 2019.
Existing tuberculosis vaccination (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin or BCG vaccine) is widely used in infants but does not provide sufficient protection against tuberculosis in adults.
The analysis found that 118,000 deaths could have been prevented in 2019 if 70% of infants around the world were given the new tuberculosis vaccine.
That’s because treating tuberculosis requires daily antibiotics for six to nine months.
WHO officials recommended that governments scale up existing immunization programs and work to develop new vaccines to combat the most dangerous pathogens.
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“Not only can we prevent deaths from pathogens, but we can also prevent the use of antibiotics,” Friede said.
