There is progress in developing vaccines to prevent infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, according to a major new analysis.
The World Health Organization report, released yesterday, explains that existing vaccines must be used efficiently and trials for new vaccines for this purpose must be accelerated.
It covers 61 vaccine candidates in various stages of clinical development, and 94 candidates in the preclinical development, all with the potential to curb the spread of infections and cut the use of antimicrobials.
This represents the first-ever report on preventing such infections, a growing public health issue.
Dr Hanan Balkhy of the WHO said: “Preventing infections using vaccination reduces the use of antibiotics, which is one of the main drivers of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
"Yet of the top six bacterial pathogens responsible for deaths due to AMR, only one, Pneumococcal disease (Streptococcus pneumoniae) has a vaccine.”
She added: “Affordable and equitable access to life-saving vaccines such as those against pneumococcus, are urgently needed to save lives, and mitigate the rise of AMR.”
Dr Haileyesus Getahun of the WHO stated: “Disruptive approaches are needed to enrich the pipeline and accelerate vaccine development. The lessons from COVID-19 vaccine development and mRNA vaccines offer unique opportunities to explore for developing vaccines against bacteria.’’
The report is part of the WHO initiative to encourage sustainable investment in research and development of new interventions to control antimicrobial resistance.
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