What has saved 150 million lives since 1974?

According to the World Health Organization, vaccination has saved the lives of 150 million people since 1974 due to the expansion of the global immunization program.

program immunization The World Health Organization, which has so far saved millions of lives, aims to expand the range of available vaccines to Younger age groupsHowever, many challenges remain.

According to the World Health Organization, throughout this period, the vast majority of Avoid deaths They were in children under five years of age.

One Stady Published in the scientific journal, scalpel, Indicates that in 2021 a Registration number of children have not been vaccinated against measles.

Not vaccinating It led to an outbreak of disease of this infectious disease around the world in the following years, including in the United States, a country that has been eliminated The disease in 2000, and in Portugal, where the disease was also eradicated, but has resurfaced this year.

“We also found that measles vaccination was responsible for 60% of the total benefit of vaccination over a 50-year period, which was also the largest factor in saving lives,” he says. Andrew Shattucka researcher at the Telethon Kids Institute and lead author of the aforementioned study.

The researchers concluded that 40% Of the decline in infant mortality rates around the world For vaccination.

“In 2024, a child under 10 years old Has 40% more chances “Surviving until your next birthday is thanks to the vaccination efforts of the last 50 years,” Shattuck says.

The WHO-funded study also concluded that for every life saved with vaccines, on average, 66 years old Of absolute health, which translates to total 10.2 billion Years of health that would have been stolen by infant deaths.

More recently, in 2023, the World Health Organization reported that vaccination programmes They were on the verge of eradicating the wild polio virus From Afghanistan and Pakistan, two countries where polio remains endemic, but challenges remain.

last Stady Published in January, it reveals this in Scotland Not detected Cases of cervical cancer in people who received treatment Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. When They Were Teens – putting the country on track to eliminate cervical cancer in young women.

Although vaccines do not prevent all infections, they can Significantly reduce Disease severity and chances of hospitalization, which in turn can help prevent neurodegenerative diseases.

The results of various studies highlight The importance of vaccination To achieve longer and healthier lives in communities – especially for children, the elderly and those with weak immunity.