Vaccines Emerge As A Powerful But Underused Weapon Against AMR, Experts Warn At ESCMID WAAW 2025 Webinar
As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) accelerates worldwide, experts are urging global health leaders to recognise vaccines not merely as disease-prevention tools, but as strategic assets capable of slowing the rise of drug-resistant infections.
This call was amplified during the ESCMID World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2025 webinar, where leading researchers stressed that immunisation must become central to the global AMR response.
Speaking on “The Vaccine Dividend, How Immunisation Can Be Used to Halt the Rising Burden of AMR”, Dr Yvan Hutin highlighted the growing human cost of drug-resistant infections, noting that AMR is no longer an abstract threat but a daily reality for families across low- and middle-income countries.
He warned that resistant infections already make common illnesses harder, and in some cases impossible, to treat.
“Behind these numbers are children with pneumonia that no longer respond to first-line antibiotics, mothers battling infections after childbirth, and patients whose urinary tract infections or tuberculosis can no longer be treated,” he said.
Dr Hutin referenced the 2024 WHO technical report, the first systematic global effort to quantify how vaccines reduce antibiotic use and resistance.
The findings show that existing vaccines already prevent millions of antibiotic courses annually, while expanding coverage of pneumococcal, Hib, influenza and rotavirus vaccines could dramatically cut unnecessary antibiotic consumption.
“Every dose of vaccine is an antibiotic course prevented, resistance insurance,” he noted.
But he warned that the pipeline for bacterial vaccines remains limited:
“We need to accelerate R&D for high-priority bacterial pathogens. COVID-19 showed what is possible when innovation, financing and urgency align.”
Taking the conversation into the African context, Dr Chinwe Iwu-Jaja, public health researcher and epidemiologist at WHO Africa, said the continent faces an “alarming” AMR burden.
In 2019 alone, Africa recorded over 250,000 AMR-attributable deaths, a figure projected to rise sharply if urgent action is not taken.
She emphasised that vaccines remain one of Africa’s most powerful yet underutilised tools.
“Vaccines prevent infections, reduce antibiotic misuse and slow the spread of resistant strains. They are central to AMR reduction,” she said.
Dr Iwu-Jaja shared emerging evidence from the region and stressed the need for stronger data systems, greater investment in vaccine development, and regional manufacturing capacity.
She also outlined the roles governments, researchers, industry and global health partners must play to scale vaccine-driven AMR strategies.
Adding to the discussion, Nimesh Poudyal, representing the trainee and young scientist community, underscored the importance of educating the next generation of infectious disease professionals.
“These webinars offer a vital platform for young scientists to learn from leading experts and contribute fresh insights into AMR solutions,” he said.
Across all presentations, a consistent message emerged: vaccination is one of the most effective AMR prevention tools available today, yet continues to be undervalued in economic and policy decisions.
Experts are now calling on governments to embed vaccines into national AMR action plans, increase investment in bacterial vaccine R&D, and ensure equitable access globally.
“Every immunisation campaign is also a resistance-prevention campaign,” Dr Hutin concluded. “Vaccines protect lives today, and protect the future of healthcare.”
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