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Vaccination was pioneered by Edward Jenner in 1796, who observed that milkmaids who contracted cowpox seemed immune to smallpox. He vaccinated 8-year-old James Phipps with cowpox material, then exposed him to smallpox — he didn't develop the disease. This empirical observation, later understood through immunology, led to the vaccine that eradicated smallpox (declared eradicated 1980 — the only human disease ever eradicated).
Vaccines have eliminated or dramatically reduced polio, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, rubella, and many other diseases. The measles vaccine alone has saved an estimated 21 million lives since 2000. Global vaccination programs are the most cost-effective public health intervention in history — WHO estimates every $1 invested in vaccination saves $44 in healthcare costs.
# Top 10 Vaccines History facts
- 1Smallpox killed 300 million people in the 20th century alone — vaccines eradicated it completely in 1980
- 2Jenner's first vaccination subject was an 8-year-old boy he deliberately exposed to smallpox — it worked
- 3Every $1 invested in vaccination returns $44 in healthcare savings — the most cost-effective health intervention
Fascinating Facts
- ◆Smallpox killed 300 million people in the 20th century alone — vaccines eradicated it completely in 1980
- ◆Jenner's first vaccination subject was an 8-year-old boy he deliberately exposed to smallpox — it worked
- ◆Every $1 invested in vaccination returns $44 in healthcare savings — the most cost-effective health intervention
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