The Telegraph: Vaccines are a critical weapon in the fight against superbugs
Seth Berkley, chief executive of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

“We already know that drug-resistant bugs can spread far and wide. … But it’s not just the distance and speed at which superbugs can travel that we need to worry about; drug resistance can also spread between different bacterial species. … [W]ith resistant genes able to jump from one species to another, the most effective way of preventing the spread of [antimicrobial resistance (AMR)] could also be one of the most underutilized: preventing cases of the disease in the first place, through vaccination. By reducing the number of cases of diseases that are already showing drug resistance we reduce the chances of genes jumping into new and more difficult to treat hosts. … Investing more in vaccines against a wider spectrum of drug-resistant diseases could not just help reduce the burden of infections that are rapidly becoming more difficult to treat, but also help delay the global spread of antimicrobial resistance. … [W]e rapidly need to expand our arsenal against this growing global health threat. Vaccines could turn out to be one of our most effective weapons” (3/6).