Routine immunization against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type B and antibiotic consumption in India: a dynamic modeling analysis 

Overview: 

Childhood vaccinations can help reduce disease risk and the need for antibiotics, which in turn lowers the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This One Health Trust co-authored article looked at how much antibiotic use has decreased in India since vaccines for Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) were added to the national vaccination program in the mid-2010s. The study also projected how much more antibiotic use could be reduced by 2028 if vaccination rates increase. 

The Question:  

How does expanding vaccine coverage help reduce antibiotic use, and what other benefits could we see with higher vaccination rates? 

The Findings:  

1. The study estimates that if the coverage of S. pneumoniae and Hib vaccines in India matched other common vaccination levels including diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis third dose (DPT3), antibiotic use could drop by 61.4 percent. 

1. From 2004 to 2016, increasing vaccination rates cut antibiotic use by up to 93.4 percent among the poorest families.  

1.  If vaccination coverage increased by another 11 percent from 2016 levels, it would make health outcomes and antibiotic use more equal across different income groups, reducing health inequalities.  

1. The study projected that near-universal vaccine coverage would further reduce health inequities and nearly eliminate the need for antibiotics during future outbreaks of S. pneumoniae and Hib. 

Read the article in the Lancet Regional Health here.