Vaccination to reduce antimicrobial resistance

Pneumonia remains the leading infectious cause of death in children worldwide, and how best to reduce this burden is worth consideration on World Pneumonia Day on November 12. Antibiotics are effective in treating bacterial pneumonia and access to appropriate antibiotics can be lifesaving. Universal provision of antibiotics to children younger than 5 years could prevent an estimated mean of 445 000 deaths per year due to community-acquired pneumonia—a 75·4% reduction across 101 countries.1 Antibiotics need to be available and accessible to effectively treat pneumonia; however, inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to the emergence and progression of antibiotic resistance, a serious public health threat.