Vaccines have saved the lives of at least 154 million people worldwide since 1974, the equivalent of six lives per minute, according to a study by the World Health Organization.

The World Health Organization stressed in a statement that the estimate contained in the study focuses on vaccination against 14 diseases, including diphtheria, hepatitis B, measles, tetanus, yellow fever, rubella, tuberculosis, meningitis A, and whooping cough.

According to the study published in the British medical journal The Lancet, vaccination saved 101 million children out of an estimated 154 million lives.

The study highlights that immunization against the 14 diseases analyzed directly contributed to reducing 40% of child deaths globally and 52% in Africa.

Measles vaccination alone has reduced child mortality by 60% globally.

WHO also highlights that more than 20 million people can now walk thanks to polio immunization.

A statement by the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, conveyed that “Vaccines are among the most powerful inventions in history, preventing diseases that were previously feared.”

The data was published at a time when there was a decline in vaccination, due in particular to the decline in immunization programs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization indicates that 67 million children did not receive all the vaccines they needed between 2020 and 2022, which contributed to an 84% increase in global measles cases between 2022 and 2023.

Source: Lusa