WHO: Vaccination is a means of combating antimicrobial resistance
Published: Thursday, Oct 10th 2024, 16:10
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Vaccines could play an important role in the fight against deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance, according to a UN report. More than half a million lives could be saved every year, reports the World Health Organization in Geneva.
Antimicrobial agents include substances that act against bacteria, but also against viruses, fungi and parasites. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 515,000 fewer people worldwide would die each year if infections and the transmission of pathogens were increasingly prevented by vaccinations. This is because fewer antimicrobial agents would then be needed, which in turn would reduce the number of resistances. Fewer patients would die as a result of such resistance.
If more infections were prevented, billions in medical costs could also be saved. For the estimate, the WHO looked at both existing vaccines and those that are still in the early or advanced stages of development. Vaccines are therefore a decisive factor in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.
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