The missing link in combating antimicrobial resistance: leveraging vaccines for prevention

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could cause up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050, yet vaccines—despite strong evidence that they reduce infections, antibiotic use, and resistant pathogens—remain underutilized in AMR strategies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Pediatric vaccination alone could prevent over 180,000 AMR-related deaths each year, but vaccines are rarely embedded in National AMR Action Plans with clear targets, financing, or surveillance integration. A key barrier is the siloed structure of AMR and immunization programs, which operate with separate stakeholders, funding streams, and data systems. The paper argues that vaccines should be treated as core AMR infrastructure, requiring five governance shifts: stronger collaboration between AMR and immunization stakeholders, inclusion of vaccine coverage targets in AMR plans, integrated surveillance systems, dedicated financing, and prioritization of vaccine R&D against resistant pathogens. A pilot initiative in the Philippines demonstrates how an AMR–vaccine network could operationalize this integration, emphasizing that the main challenge is no longer evidence generation, but translating evidence into coordinated policy and practice.