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The History, Impact, and Importance of Vaccines Worldwide

Explore the history, impact, and importance of vaccines in global health. Learn how vaccines have shaped disease prevention and saved millions of lives.
Rayomand S. Engineer
By
Rayomand S. Engineer
The History, Impact, and Importance of Vaccines Worldwide

Introduction

Vaccines - which was the last vaccine you got? Probably the Covid-19 vaccine during lockdown. Vaccination is critical as a public health measure, and each year, millions of people, especially children, get vaccinated around the world to protect themselves and others from preventable diseases.

According to WHO data, over 100 million infants are vaccinated yearly against polio, measles, tetanus, hepatitis B and diphtheria. In developed countries, the vaccination rate for routine childhood vaccines is more than 90%, while in low and middle-income countries, efforts are ongoing to improve vaccination. Efforts like World Immunization Day are a day to safeguard our immunity from communicable diseases.