The first modern vaccine was developed in 1796, when English physician Edward Jenner created a vaccine for smallpox. Since then, vaccines have saved millions of lives worldwide.
They’re one of the most important medical advances in history. Before vaccines, parents had no way to protect their children against deadly diseases like polio, measles, and smallpox. Vaccines changed that, empowering humans to fight and even wipe out diseases that once spread unchecked.
Here are five ways vaccines changed the world for the better.
The end of smallpox
Few diseases caused more fear than smallpox. The extremely contagious virus killed roughly a third of those it infected and left many survivors with lifelong scars. In the 20th century alone, smallpox is believed to have killed more than 300 million people.
Jenner’s groundbreaking smallpox vaccine was highly effective, allowing some parts of Europe to eliminate the disease within a century. The last known case of smallpox was recorded in 1977. Today, smallpox is the only human disease that’s ever been completely wiped out.
Vaccines have reduced the spread of more than a dozen diseases
Thanks to widespread vaccination, diseases like mumps, tetanus, chickenpox, hepatitis, and even cancer-causing HPV are now far less common. In some places, they’ve been nearly eliminated.
Polio is on track to become the second human disease ever eradicated, thanks to an aggressive global vaccination campaign. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, launched in 1988, led to a 99 percent drop in polio cases worldwide.
Today, wild polio is found in only two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Vaccination is also responsible for a 99 percent reduction in mumps worldwide and a 90 percent reduction in chickenpox in the U.S. Measles vaccines have reduced global deaths by 87 percent between 2000 and 2022.
Vaccines have helped cut infant deaths in Africa by half
In 1974, about one in 10 babies died before their first birthday. Now, that number is less than one in 30. Vaccines have played a crucial role in this progress.
One analysis found that vaccines are responsible for 40 percent of the global drop in infant deaths since 1974, preventing around 100 million deaths worldwide. In Africa, the decline is even more dramatic; vaccines have helped cut infant deaths by half over the past 50 years.
Vaccines have saved over 150 million lives in the past 50 years
Since 1974, vaccines have prevented an estimated 154 million deaths globally, mostly in children under 5.
Measles vaccination alone accounts for over 90 million lives saved. Looking ahead, vaccines are expected to save over 51 million lives between 2021 and 2030.
Vaccines have helped to save trillions of dollars
Vaccines don’t just save lives: They save money too. Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective investments in public health.
Every dollar spent on vaccines saves $54 in health care costs. That adds up to over $780 billion saved this decade alone. Childhood vaccinations in the U.S. have saved nearly $3 trillion since 1994.