Vaccinations save more than 154 million lives

#Vaccinations #save #million #lives

Basel – In 1974, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global vaccination program for children with the “Expanded Program on Immunization”. A new study shows that vaccinations have prevented an estimated 154 million deaths since then. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) report this in the specialist journal “The Lancet” in collaboration with the WHO and other research organizations.

Inspired by progress in eradicating smallpox through vaccination, the WHO launched the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 1974. Today, half a century later, researchers have attempted to quantify the program’s impact on public health since its inception in a study.

Key findings include that vaccinations have prevented an estimated 154 million deaths worldwide since 1974, including 146 million in children under five years of age and 101 million in infants under one year of age.

On average, for every death prevented, 66 years of health were gained, a staggering gain of 10.2 billion years of health. Vaccinations account for 40 percent of the observed decline in global infant mortality, with the contribution being even higher in regions such as Africa at 52 percent.

In 2024, a child under the age of ten is 40% more likely to survive to their next birthday than in a hypothetical scenario without the historic vaccination effort. The benefits of vaccination continue into adulthood, with the probability of survival increasing in all age groups.

“Vaccinations work, save lives and make our world healthier.”

Prof. Dr. Jürg Utzinger

“These results underscore the enormous impact of vaccinations on global public health over the last 50 years. Vaccination works, saves lives and makes our world healthier,” says Prof. Dr. Jürg Utzinger, Director of the Swiss TPH and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Basel. “We are pleased that we were able to contribute to this groundbreaking study with our expertise in mathematical modeling.” The Swiss TPH researchers led the study in collaboration with numerous colleagues from the WHO and other research institutions.

The researchers used mathematical and statistical models to estimate the regional and global impact of EPI vaccinations against 14 pathogens (including measles, polio and tuberculosis) over the past 50 years on public health. For the modeled pathogens, they considered the coverage of all routine and additional vaccinations and estimated the avoided mortality and morbidity for each age cohort.

“While we should celebrate this success, we must also be aware that diseases such as measles, tetanus and tuberculosis continue to claim lives.”

Dr. Andrew Shattock

“This study is the most comprehensive analysis of the historical impact of vaccinations to date. Infant and child mortality rates have fallen dramatically over the last 50 years, and our results show that vaccinations have been the most important factor in this progress,” says Dr. Andrew Shattock, senior research associate at Swiss TPH and the University of Basel and first author of the study.

“While we should celebrate this success, we must also recognize that diseases such as measles, tetanus and tuberculosis continue to claim lives. It is therefore vital that we continue to invest in the most effective medical advances, including existing and new vaccines,” said Shattock.

This text is based on a press release from Swiss TPH. (University of Basel/mc/ps)

Originalpublikation
Andrew J Shattock et al.
Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization
The Lancet (2024), doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00850-X
University of Basel