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

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens to claim 10 million lives annually by 2050, yet vaccines-proven tools to prevent infections and reduce antibiotic use-remain underutilized in AMR strategies. Despite evidence that pediatric vaccination could prevent 181,500 AMR-associated deaths annually in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and that pneumococcal conjugate vaccines reduce nonsusceptible infections by 56.9%, vaccines are rarely integrated into National AMR Action Plans with explicit targets, financing mechanisms, or surveillance linkages. AMR and immunization programs operate as separate vertical structures with different champions, financing streams, and data systems. This siloed approach prevents operationalization of vaccine-AMR evidence into policy and limits coordinated action. National AMR Action Plans prioritize stewardship, surveillance, and drug discovery while overlooking vaccines' role in reducing infection burden, limiting resistant pathogen circulation, and decreasing antibiotic consumption. This commentary argues that vaccines must be treated as core AMR infrastructure in LMICs, requiring five governance shifts: (1) institutionalized collaboration between immunization and AMR stakeholders; (2) vaccine coverage targets embedded in AMR action plans; (3) coordinated surveillance linking immunization registries with AMR data systems; (4) financing mechanisms recognizing vaccines as AMR infrastructure investments; and (5) research prioritizing next-generation vaccines against resistant pathogens. Drawing on efforts in the Philippines to convene physician societies, government agencies leading AMR and immunization efforts, and academic institutions, we demonstrate how these shifts can be piloted through a formal AMR-Vaccine Network, offering a testable model for operationalizing vaccine-AMR integration in LMICs. The challenge extends beyond establishing the evidence base to operationalizing that evidence through governance reform.