That equates to six lives saved every minute over 50 years, the United Nations health agency said.
In a study published in the Lancet journal, the WHO provided a detailed analysis of the effects of 14 vaccines used under the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next month.
“Vaccines are one of the most powerful inventions in history to prevent once-feared diseases,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
“Thanks to vaccines, we managed to completely eradicate smallpox, polio is on the verge of extinction, and recently, with the development of vaccines for diseases such as malaria and cervical cancer, we are also pushing other diseases to the margins,” he said.
“With continued research, investment and collaboration, we can save millions of lives today and over the next 50 years,” he added.
The study says that vaccinations have saved 101 million lives over five decades. babies’ lives.
“Immunization has contributed the most of all health interventions to ensuring that babies not only reach their first birthday, but also stay healthy into adulthood,” the WHO asserted.
The study found that over 50 years, vaccinations against 14 diseases directly contributed to a 40 percent reduction in infant mortality.
In Africa, the decline is more than 50 percent, the report said.
The vaccine against measles, a highly contagious viral disease that mostly affects children, had the biggest impact.
According to the research data, 60% of the cases are attributed to this vaccine. lives saved by immunization.
The polio vaccine means more than 20 million people can walk today. people who would otherwise be paralyzed.
“These child survival rates demonstrate the importance of maintaining immunization progress,” WHO said, noting the accelerating efforts to reach 67 million children. children who missed at least one vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
