Mass vaccination programs reduce the antimicrobial use and help in controlling antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem and results in nearly 700,000 deaths of people worldwide each year. However, it is estimated that in the absence of any action to contain AMR, this figure could rise to 10 million by 2050, may reduce livestock production by up to 7.5% and likely to cost an economic burden of over $100 trillion. The world is presently locked in an arms race against superbugs. As of now, these bugs are winning mainly because of lack of new antibiotics in the drug discovery pipeline. Recently, there has been increasing interest in addressing AMR issues by offering incentives to the public and private sectors to develop new antimicrobial agents, improving infection control measures, antibiotic stewardship, and minimizing antibiotic use in livestock production; but little effort has been made to consider how existing and new vaccines could have impact on AMR. Through this paper, we advocate that mass vaccination programmes may have significant impact in reducing the use of antimicrobials which, in turn, may substantially reduce the AMR in pathogens.