The BactiVac Network & Royal Society Science+ Meeting
The Royal Society, London, UK
29 - 30 April 2024
We were delighted to see many BactiVac members in London at the end of April. BactiVac provided travel bursaries for a number of our overseas members to attend, many of whom gave excellent poster presentations. The key objective of the meeting was to take a One Health approach to the role of vaccines in reducing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to evidence translation into policy from a global context with specific emphasis on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
See the meeting highlights video:
Vaccines and antimicrobial resistance: from science to policy
The meeting assembled global experts from academia and industry, economists, regulators, policy makers and funders from high-income countries and LMICs working in the fields of human and veterinary vaccines against bacterial pathogens of global AMR concern. Day 1 addressed the scientific evidence of how vaccines are a key tool against AMR, acting both directly, by reducing antibiotic-sensitive and AMR infections, and indirectly, by reducing antibiotic use. Day 2 focused on how this evidence can be used to drive policy, culminating in a discussion on recommendations for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on AMR to be held in New York in September 2024.
As well as hearing a set of excellent talks, it was fantastic to have great engagement, discussion and questions, as well as networking, throughout the two-day meeting from all present. We are very grateful to the Royal Society for hosting the meeting and to Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy on AMR, for kindly agreeing to co-chair with Professor Cal MacLennan, BactiVac Network Director. The key outcomes and recommendations from the meeting are shown below, and we look forward to future engagement in the advocacy space for the importance of bacterial vaccines in the fight against AMR.
Key outcomes:
- AMR is a One Health problem with devastating health & economic consequences, particularly in LMICs
- The importance of vaccines in addressing AMR is under-appreciated
- Vaccines are an effective tool against AMR, both in humans and animals, but more evidence is needed
- Limited vaccines are available against the bacterial pathogens which are responsible for 1.27 million AMR deaths/year
- There is limited funding to develop new vaccines, despite an estimated economic cost of US$3-7 trillion/year by 2050 from AMR
- The vaccine community must effectively communicate the role that vaccines play in reducing AMR
Recommendations:
- There is a critical need for a coordinated, multi-disciplinary One Health global approach to addressing the AMR crisis
- Human and veterinary vaccine fields have a pivotal role to play and must work together in order to achieve this
- The evidence that vaccines reduce AMR needs to be continually strengthened by scientific studies
- Advocacy is required for funding to drive vaccine development and implementation, particularly in LMICs
- Clear messaging is essential to articulate the importance of vaccines in AMR to stakeholders and policymakers globally
For all queries, please contact the BactiVac Administration Team: bactivac@contacts.bham.ac.uk