Vaccination to prevent antimicrobial resistance: new evidence, future priorities and policy implications
This report explores how vaccines can help reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR), summarising new evidence from 11 Wellcome-funded projects and outlining what’s needed to strengthen policy decisions with research evidence.
Report at a glance
This report has been commissioned and authored by Wellcome.
- Published:
- 28 May 2025
- Strategic programme:
- What's inside:
- New evidence on how vaccines impact antimicrobial resistance, highlighting key findings, data gaps and policy implications to support evidence-based decision-making.
- Who this is for:
- Policy makers, researchers and research funders
- Citation information:
Vaccination to prevent antimicrobial resistance: new evidence, future priorities and policy implications. Wellcome (2025).
- Creative commons:
Summary
Vaccination is a critical but underused strategy in the global response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). By preventing infections, vaccines reduce the need for antibiotics and help slow the emergence and spread of resistant pathogens. This dual benefit positions vaccines as a powerful tool in AMR control.
Global health authorities are increasingly recognising this potential. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that existing and new vaccines could prevent up to 515,000 AMR-associated deaths, save $30 billion in hospital costs, and reduce the use of antibiotics by 2.5 billion doses annually. Despite this, vaccines are not yet fully integrated into AMR strategies. While 87% of national AMR action plans include vaccination, implementation often lags behind intention.
In 2019, Wellcome funded 11 research projects to investigate how vaccines impact AMR across different pathogens, settings and research methods. These studies aimed to fill critical evidence gaps – particularly in low- and middle-income countries – and to inform policy decisions with real-world data.
The report summarises the findings from these projects and the discussions that followed at a 2024 workshop with researchers and policy makers. It provides a guide for further understanding the role of vaccination in tackling AMR via future research, investment and policy action.
Key findings
Vaccination reduces antibiotic use – but inconsistently
Evidence from influenza, typhoid, pneumococcal, malaria and diarrhoeal disease studies shows that vaccines can reduce antibiotic prescribing. However, effects vary by setting, pathogen and health system factors.
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Conclusion
Vaccines offer a promising route to reduce AMR.
Clearer, context-specific evidence is needed to support policy decisions. Strengthening the evidence base will help unlock the full public health value of vaccination in AMR control.
Recommendations
- Prioritise evidence generation for pathogens and settings where AMR outcomes could support vaccine use.
- Embed AMR outcomes in vaccine trials and post-introduction studies.
- Standardise AMR metrics and methodologies across studies.
- Strengthen surveillance systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
- Align research with policy maker needs, including economic and syndromic data.
- Support global and national stakeholders to integrate AMR evidence into vaccine decision-making.
Contact us
For more information, contact Deborah King, Research Lead, Vaccines at Wellcome
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