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Thanks to vaccines, I remember the study of which some data were published in the Lancet journal on the occasion of World Vaccination Week to also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), smallpox and polio have been eradicated, as well as a strong reduction in measles cases.
“Investing in vaccination programs”
The organization calls on countries to increase investment in national vaccination programs to protect future generations. But cases, particularly of measles, are growing again. The increase has “worrying numbers”, as does that of whooping cough cases, and for this reason the Italian Society of General Medicine and Primary Care launches an appeal to “strongly recommend the relevant vaccinations not only to children, for whom there are appointments on the vaccination calendar, but also for adults who are not covered or who need a booster.”
“The most powerful tool to save little ones”
The WHO study shows that vaccination is, among all health interventions, the most powerful tool to ensure that children not only reach their first birthday (102 million newborns saved in 50 years), but continue to lead a life healthy until adulthood. Among the vaccines considered, the one against measles had the greatest impact in reducing infant mortality, saving 60% of the total lives. This vaccine will likely remain the primary tool for preventing deaths in the future. More generally, in the past half century, vaccines against 14 diseases (diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, measles, meningitis A, whooping cough, invasive pneumococcal disease, polio, rotavirus, rubella, tetanus, tuberculosis and fever yellow) have directly contributed to reducing child deaths by 40% globally and by more than 50% in Africa.
“Vaccines are among the most powerful inventions in history, making once-feared diseases preventable,” says WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Thanks to them, smallpox has been eradicated, polio is almost eradicated, and with the more recent development of vaccines against diseases such as malaria and cervical cancer, we are pushing the boundaries of the disease back. With research, a With continued investment and collaboration, we can save millions more lives today and over the next 50 years.”
Many cases of post-infection disability have also been avoided: thanks to vaccination against polio, more than 20 million people are able to walk today. We must therefore accelerate efforts to reach the 67 million children who missed one or more vaccinations during the pandemic years, concludes the WHO.
