The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) was launched by the WHO in 1974 to make life-saving vaccines available to all globally. To mark the 50-year anniversary of EPI, this study was conducted to quantify the public health impact of vaccination globally since the program’s inception.
Researchers modelled the global and regional public health impact of 50 years of routine and supplementary vaccination against 14 pathogens in EPI and estimated the mortality and morbidity averted for each age cohort relative to a hypothetical scenario of no historical vaccination. These outcomes were then used to estimate the contribution of vaccination to globally declining infant and child mortality rates over this period.
The findings showed that since 1974, vaccination has averted 154 million deaths, including 146 million among children younger than 5 years. For every death averted, 66 years of full health were gained on average, translating to 10.2 billion years of full health gained. Vaccination is estimated to have accounted for 40% of the observed decline in global infant mortality, 52% in the African region. Authors estimated that EPI has provided the single greatest contribution to improved infant survival over the past 50 years and concluded that equitable universal access to immunization remains crucial to sustain health gains and continue to save future lives from preventable infectious mortality.
Any organization or individual working in the field of immunization economics can submit findings, opportunities, calls to action, or other relevant work below to be shared with our community.