STAT: Vaccines are part of the solution to the emerging crisis of antibiotic resistance
Bruce Gellin, president of global immunization at the Sabin Vaccine Institute

“…[I]n the context of the global trend in antibiotic resistance, we have been undervaluing all that vaccines offer to both individuals and communities. … Vaccines help prevent the rise of antimicrobial resistance by reducing the use — and misuse — of antibiotics. … But the benefits don’t stop there. Vaccines have a unique quality among health interventions by benefiting both the individuals who are vaccinated and the larger community. … Slowing the rise of antibiotic resistance requires immediate, collective action. To ensure that once common infections don’t become deadly, we must preserve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics by ending misuse and overuse. At the same time, expanding access to vaccines can slow the development and spread of so-called superbugs. After all, it hardly matters how ‘super’ these bacteria are if we can prevent them from infecting people in the first place” (8/1).