Another good reason to vaccinate - to keep life-saving medicines working

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Vaccination is a key component in any strategy for the control of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is highly effective in preventing diseases that might otherwise lead to the use of antimicrobial medicines, such as antibiotics.

In WHO's core package of interventions to support AMR national action plans, vaccination is listed as a key intervention. Suboptimal access to vaccinations and missed vaccine doses reduce the potential impact of vaccination in controlling AMR. WHO encourages policy-makers to align vaccination and AMR control strategies and is supporting Member States to achieve this.

"Vaccination is a key part of AMR control, not just a nice-to-have," explains Dr Danilo Lo Fo Wong, Regional Adviser on AMR at WHO/Europe. "Vaccination is effective in preventing infections and has multiple benefits for AMR control.

Antibiotics are not effective against the influenza virus, for example. Seasonal influenza vaccine not only prevents severe illness and death but can limit opportunities for the inappropriate use of antibiotics and reduces the need for antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections. This has a particularly positive impact among older adults at risk of complications following influenza infection. Promoting influenza vaccination for older adults and the health workers who care for them will contribute to AMR control."

Reducing infection and protecting life-saving medicines

On an individual level, increasing awareness about personal responsibility to handle antimicrobial medicines with care can strengthen motivation to vaccinate and prevent illness and death related to vaccine-preventable diseases. For Elena Voronina, a mother of 2 children living in the Russian Federation, this was a part of her decision to have her daughters immunized.

"All parents know how difficult it is to protect children from infections," she explains. "I believe all children should be protected from serious illnesses and their complications. Childhood vaccination provides such protection. In addition, in a broad sense, vaccination reduces the need for the use of antibiotics, thereby preventing the development of antimicrobial resistance." She continues, "Let's protect our children by getting them vaccinated, and in doing so, let's help reduce the use of antibiotics."

"It's great to hear that parents like Elena are motivated to keep antimicrobials working and to choose vaccination to help prevent infectious diseases," says Dr Siddartha Datta, Regional Adviser for Vaccine-Preventable diseases and Immunization at WHO/Europe. "Our individual actions matter. The value of vaccinating an individual and its impact on AMR are often under-recognized. But times are changing. AMR is now a major global health threat to this and future generations. Getting all scheduled vaccinations on time helps prevent the spread of diseases. This, and taking medicines as prescribed, helps reduce the risk of AMR."