The Importance of Vaccines: Over 150 Million Lives Saved in 50 Years

Over the last five decades, the world has seen a drastic reduction in infant mortality thanks to better nutrition and lower poverty, cleaner air and water, readily available treatments, and, most of all, the development and distribution of vaccines.

According to a new study from the World Health Organization (WHO), since 1974, out of the 154 million deaths prevented through vaccines, 146 million were children under 5, including 101 million infants. Vaccines are responsible for 40% of the decline in infant mortality. In 1974, one in ten newborns didn’t reach their first birthday and in 2021, that rate had fallen by two-thirds.

People who benefited from vaccines lived for 66 years on average. WHO’s Expanded Programme on Immunization was launched in 1974, building on the success of the organization’s work on eradicating smallpox. The measles vaccine has been incredibly successful, saving 93.7 million lives since 1974. The tetanus vaccine saved 28 million lives, the pertussis vaccine 13.2 million, and the tuberculosis vaccine 10.9 million. In 2021, in sub-Saharan Africa, 68% of 1-year-olds received a first dose of the measles vaccine, 78% received the tuberculosis vaccine, and 71% received the vaccines against hepatitis B, polio, and diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis. The Covid-19 vaccine has been a game-changer in vaccine efficiency and prompt development.