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At least 154 million lives have been saved over the past 50 years thanks to global vaccination efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports. Most of those rescued are infants.
“Vaccines are among the most powerful inventions in history, enabling previously feared diseases to be prevented,” says WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In a study published in the journal The Lancet, the WHO has analyzed the effects of 14 vaccines used within the framework of a vaccine program that was started 50 years ago.
According to the study, infants accounted for 101 million of the lives saved during the half century.
Vaccinations are the number one health intervention to ensure that “babies not only experience their first birthdays” but also stay healthy into adulthood, says the WHO.
The vaccines are against diseases such as diphtheria, measles, polio and rubella.
The measles vaccine has had the greatest impact and accounts for 60 percent of the lives saved, according to the study.
