Researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia have helped map the global impact of life saving vaccines to mark the 50-year anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI).
The findings show that since 1974, vaccination has saved approximately 154 million lives – most of these, children under the age of five.
The study, which was funded by the World Health Organization, was led by Andrew Shattock, an Associate Professor in the Intervention and Infectious Diseases Modelling Team at The Kids Research Institute Australia and The University of Western Australia, with contributions from researchers from around the globe.
The EPI was an initiative established by the World Health Assembly in 1974 with the goal of vaccinating all children against smallpox, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and measles by 1990. The program was then expanded to include other diseases.
Researchers used a suite of mathematical and statistical modelling to map the global impact of the program, with incredible findings. “We estimate that the EPI has provided the single greatest contribution to infant survival over the past 50 years,” Associate Professor Shattock said.
The collaborative efforts of countries around the world to implement the EPI has averted approximately 154 million deaths – significantly, around 146 million children under the age of five. The study found that for every death averted, 66 years of full health were gained, on average.
Dr Shattock said the findings estimated that vaccination had accounted for 40 per cent of the observed decline in global infant mortality. In Africa it was 52 per cent.
“In 2024 a child at any age under 10 years is 40 per cent more likely to survive to their next birthday thanks to vaccination efforts over the past 50 years. Increased survival probability is observed even well into late adulthood.
“We also discovered that measles vaccination accounted for 60 per cent of the total benefit of vaccination over the 50-year period, which was also the greatest driver of lives saved.”
The findings, to be published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, were released as part of the World Immunisation Week. The full report is available to read here.
The Kids Research Institute Australia has a dedicated program of research into vaccines and infectious diseases driven by multi-disciplinary teams. Our work includes testing and evaluating the safety and effectiveness of new vaccines, monitoring vaccines, developing and optimising diagnosis and treatment strategies, mathematical modelling to inform the development and implementation of interventions and treatments, and evaluating and informing prevention programs. We are also playing a leading role in the global effort to develop a Strep A vaccine.