Vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives worldwide since 1974, the equivalent of six lives per minute, according to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) released today.
In a statement, the WHO highlights that the estimate reflected in the study focuses on vaccination against 14 diseases, including diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, tetanus, yellow fever, rubella, tuberculosis, meningitis A and whooping cough.
According to the study, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, vaccination saved 101 million babies out of an estimated 154 million lives.
The study highlights that immunization against the 14 diseases analyzed directly contributed to reducing 40% of global child mortality and 52% in Africa.
By itself, measles vaccination reduced child mortality by 60% on a global scale.
The WHO also highlights that more than 20 million people can now walk thanks to immunization against polio.
“Vaccines are among the most powerful inventions in history, preventing previously feared diseases”, highlighted the director-general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, quoted in a statement.
The data was published at a time of decline in vaccination, caused in particular by the reduction in immunization programs due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The WHO points out that 67 million children did not receive all the vaccines they needed between 2020 and 2022, which contributed to an 84% increase in global measles cases between 2022 and 2023.
The study was released during World Vaccination Week 2024, which began today and ends on Tuesday.
