The 100-Year Life Health Education and Government
Vaccines have been one of the most significant factors in the global reduction of infant deaths since the 1970s, according to a new study in medical journal The Lancet. In a drive led by the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccines accounted for 40 per cent of the drop in infant mortality between 1974 and 2021. The authors estimate global immunisation has saved an estimated 154 million lives, 146 million of those being children under five. A particular shout-out goes to the measles vaccine (93.7 million lives saved). Separately, the WHO has recently warned that measles is spreading, with an “alarming” increase in Europe, in part due to falling vaccination rates.