Infant Mortality Rates Decline Worldwide Thanks to Vaccines
In the past 50 years, infant mortality rates have seen a significant decrease, with one in ten newborns dying before their first birthday in 1974 compared to a rate that has fallen by over two-thirds in 2021. Factors contributing to this decline include lower poverty levels, improved nutrition, cleaner air and water, and the availability of antibiotics and other treatments.
A new study by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that vaccines played a crucial role in reducing infant mortality rates, with vaccines accounting for 40 percent of the decline. Vaccines have prevented 154 million deaths since 1974, with 146 million lives saved among children under 5, and gave beneficiaries an additional 9 billion years of life collectively.
The WHO’s Expanded Programme on Immunization, launched in 1974, significantly increased access to vaccines in low-income countries over the past 50 years, resulting in substantial gains in vaccination coverage and preventing millions of potential deaths. The measles vaccine, in particular, has been instrumental in saving lives, averting 93.7 million deaths since 1974.
The study used data on actual mortality rates, vaccine coverage, and disease modeling to assess the impact of vaccines over the past five decades, showing that vaccines have been highly effective in saving lives and preventing suffering. It emphasizes the importance of vaccines as a tool for public health and the need to continue efforts to develop and distribute vaccines for diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of vaccination but has also led to polarization on the issue, with vaccination rates declining in some populations. This underscores the ongoing need for education and awareness about the benefits of vaccination in saving lives and preventing the spread of diseases.
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