Vaccines have saved approximately 154 million lives in the last 50 years, according to WHO

According to a study conducted by World Health Organization (WHO)global efforts to immunization have saved approximately 154 million lives over the past 50 years — the equivalent of six lives per minute annually. According to research, carried out between 1974 and 2024, 64% of the lives saved were babies.

The study considered vaccines that combat 14 types of diseases: diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), Hepatitis BJapanese encephalitis, measlesmeningitis A, whooping cough, pneumococcal disease, poliorotavirus, rubella, tetanus, tuberculosis and yellow fever, which directly contributed to the reduction in child deaths by 40% globally and by more than 50% in Africa.

Among the vaccines evaluated in the study, measles vaccination was the one that had the most significant impact on reducing child mortality, representing 60% of lives saved due to immunization.

In a statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom described vaccines as the most powerful inventions in history, making once-feared diseases preventable. “With continued research, investment and collaboration, we can save thousands more lives today and in the next 50 years,” said Tedros.

Another discovery from the research, which will be published in the scientific journal The Lancetis that, for every life saved, an average of 66 years of full health were gained, totaling 10.2 billion years of full health over the 50 years analyzed.

“These gains in child survival highlight the importance of protecting immunization progress in all countries around the world and accelerating efforts to reach the 67 million children who missed one or more vaccines during the pandemic years,” highlighted the WHO.

Brazil

After years of falling vaccine adherence, Brazil managed to improve vaccination coverage for 13 of the 16 vaccines on the children’s calendar in 2023, but, despite the progress, the rates are still below the targets recommended by the federal government, which range from 90% to 95%. The data was presented by the Ministry of Health last Tuesday, 23rd, at the headquarters of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in Brasília.

The following vaccines improved their rates:

• Poliomyelitis oral version
• Poliomyelitis inactivated version
• Yellow fever
• Hepatitis A
• Meningococcal C (1st dose)
• Meningococcal C (booster)
• Pentavalent (which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae b – Hib and hepatitis B)
• Rotavirus
• Pneumococcal 10 (1st dose)
• Pneumococcal 10 (reinforcement)
• Triple viral (1st dose)
• Triple viral (2 doses)
• Bacterial triple reinforcement (DTP)

The increase ranged from 4 to 9 percentage points. In the case of the polio vaccine, a disease popularly known as infantile paralysis, the rate went from 77.2% in 2022 to 84.7% in 2023. The vaccine that had the biggest increase in percentage points was the triple bacterial booster ( DTP), which went from 67.4% in 2022 to 76.8% last year.

Despite the progress, Isabella Ballalai, director of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm), highlights the importance of considering improvements in public health information systems, which may have contributed to greater accuracy in vaccination records.

Furthermore, she warns that the current average coverage of the 13 childhood vaccines that have shown an increase is just above 70%, still considerably below the 95% target needed to keep diseases eliminated.

Another point mentioned by the specialist is the need to consider data by region – a section not presented by the Ministry of Health. “Vaccination rates vary considerably across the country, which can create risk areas, where low vaccination coverage makes a region more susceptible to certain diseases”, explained Isabella.

“We welcome and are aware of the Ministry of Health’s efforts. The approach with States and municipalities, through microplanning, is an example of this. However, the recently released data needs to be looked at taking into account vaccination goals and disparities by region”, says the director of SBIm.