HIBAPRESS-RABAT-OMS
According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccines against 24 pathogens could reduce the number of doses of antibiotics needed worldwide each year by 22%, or 2.5 billion. defined daily doses, thus supporting global efforts to combat AMR. While some of these vaccines are already available, although underutilized, others will need to be developed and brought to market as soon as possible.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial drugs, increasing the severity of conditions, the risk of illness and death and the spread of difficult-to-treat infections. . AMR is largely due to the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, but at the same time, many people around the world do not have access to essential antimicrobials. Each year, globally, nearly 5 million deaths are associated with AMR.
Vaccines are a pillar of the effort to reduce AMR. They prevent infections, reduce antimicrobial reliance and overuse, and slow the emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens.
The new report builds on a WHO study published in BMJ Global Health last year. According to these estimates, vaccines already used against pneumococcal pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib, a bacteria responsible for pneumonia and meningitis) and typhoid could prevent up to 106,000 deaths each year. deaths associated with AMR. Also annually, an additional 543,000 AMR-associated deaths could be avoided as new vaccines against tuberculosis and Klebsiella pneumoniae are developed and deployed globally. As a reminder, new anti-tuberculosis vaccines are currently undergoing clinical trials while a vaccine against Klebsiella pneumoniae is in the early stages of development.
“The fight against antimicrobial resistance starts with infection prevention and, in this area, vaccines are among the most effective tools,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “Prevention is better than cure: if we want to save lives and break the spiral of AMR, we absolutely must increase access to existing vaccines and develop new ones against serious diseases such as tuberculosis. »
Vaccines are essential to prevent infection
Vaccinated people have fewer infections and are protected against potential complications from secondary infections that may require antimicrobial medications or lead to hospital admission. The report presents an analysis of the impact of already licensed vaccines as well as vaccines at various stages of development.
Each year:
vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae could save 33 million doses of antibiotics if the 2030 Immunization Program objective of vaccinating 90% of the world’s children and affected adults was achieved; those against typhoid fever, to save 45 million doses of antibiotics, if we accelerated their introduction in countries with a high burden of morbidity; those against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, to save up to 25 million doses of antibiotics (these are often misused against this disease); those against tuberculosis, to save between 1.2 and 1.9 billion doses of antibiotics – which represents a significant part of the 11.3 billion doses used each year against the diseases covered in this report and would therefore have the greatest impact.
