Vaccines reduce infections and antibiotic demand, limiting the emergence of resistance. Integrating vaccination efforts with AMR strategies in human and animal health can reduce antimicrobial residues in the environment and support healthier, more resilient populations.
Vaccines are one of the most effective, evidence-based public health interventions available. They are estimated to save over 4 million lives yearly and help people of all ages live longer, healthier lives. Immunisation has been a key global strategy to improve public health outcomes, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where infectious diseases remain a major public health burden.
The relationship between vaccines and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is complex and multifaceted. By preventing infections, vaccines reduce both the demand for antibiotics and their inappropriate use in treating infections. This in turn helps mitigate the development and spread of AMR. Reduced antibiotic use lowers the selective pressure that drives the emergence of resistant bacteria. Additionally, some vaccines target bacteria directly, further supporting the containment of AMR.
Vaccines play a pivotal role in safeguarding global health and reducing infections that contribute to AMR across all One Health sectors. Despite these clear co-benefits, vaccination programmes and AMR strategies are rarely integrated, and the potential for synergistic development remains underutilised – ICARS is working to change that.
In human health, vaccines reduce infection rates, the need for antibiotics, and the risk of incorrect or unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions. High vaccine coverage can also support herd immunity, limiting the spread of resistant strains through populations. In the Philippines, a project is developing a framework for reducing antibiotic use via vaccination while raising awareness of vaccines as a tool to control AMR, improve vaccine uptake, and promote AMR prevention in LMICs.
In animal health, vaccines prevent disease in livestock and poultry, reducing the need for antibiotics used for treatment or growth promotion, and lowering the AMR risk in the food chain. Furthermore, vaccines support animal welfare and productivity, reducing economic dependence on antibiotics. In Tanzania, a project is working to reduce antimicrobial use and AMR through tailored vaccination and biosecurity regimes in commercial poultry production.
In the environment, the reduction in antibiotic use because of infection prevention via vaccines means that less resistant genes are released into ecosystems, decreasing the selective pressure on environmental bacteria to develop resistance. Fewer treated infections also mean less pharmaceutical waste in water, soil and sewage.
