The Impact of Vaccines in Low- and High-Income Countries

Vaccination has become the most effective public health measure for the control of infectious diseases after the provision of clean drinking water. The history of vaccination is marked with great hopes and some disappointments. In particular, the second half of the 20th century witnessed the development of remarkable vaccination projects. There is a possibility that polio and measles may be eradicated within a few years, but almost 3 million people – usually children <5 years of age – die each year from diseases that are preventable by vaccines. Developing countries are struggling to get the vaccines to children who desperately need them. However, in Europe and North America, people have become complacent about vaccines: ‘these diseases are no longer a threat and the vaccine is more dangerous than the disease’. Those misconceptions have caused outbreaks of measles, diphtheria and pertussis. The international community must continue to devote the necessary resources, money and manpower to fully exploit the promise that vaccines hold for the relief of human misery.