Vaccinations have been central to conversations about global health for years, and for good reason.
They have been the key to preventing some of the most infectious and life-threatening diseases in human history and have saved millions of lives.
That said, we still have a long way to go. In 2023, an estimated 4.8 million children died before their fifth birthday, translating to roughly 13,100 child deaths every day. Many of these deaths were from preventable diseases that a vaccine could have protected them against.
So let's look back at five vaccines (beyond COVID-19) that have helped transform the world for children so far.
Five vaccines that have changed the world for children
1. Smallpox
Smallpox was the first disease to be eradicated with the help of a vaccine. It is recognised as the beginning of modern vaccination.
It was considered one of the deadliest diseases in history, killing around 30% of people who became infected. Those who survived were often left with long-term consequences including severe scarring, blindness and other complications.
In 1796, Edward Jenner created the vaccine using a live cowpox virus. By 1980, following decades of coordinated global vaccination campaigns, the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated worldwide—the first and, to date, only human disease ever to be completely eliminated.
This stands as one of humanity's greatest public health achievements.
2. Polio
In the 1940s and 50s, Polio was a big threat. It attacks the nervous system, affecting the spine and causing muscle weakness and paralysis which can be permanent.
Following the introduction of polio vaccines in the 1950s and the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the world has witnessed remarkable progress. Poliovirus cases have decreased by more than 99.9% since 1988, when an estimated 350,000 cases occurred in over 125 endemic countries.
What made the vaccine more significant was that it was the first time that an inactive form of a virus was used to develop a vaccine. These inactivated vaccines, paved the way for modern vaccine development, including the COVID-19 vaccinations we've become familiar with.
More than 20 million people are walking today who would otherwise have been paralysed and the world stands on the threshold of eradicating polio globally.
3. Meningitis
More than 5 million people develop meningitis worldwide each year. First recorded in 1805, bacterial meningitis causes swelling of the tissue around the brain and spinal cord, and can lead to blood infections and sepsis.
This disease can affect anyone, but babies, young children, and the elderly are most at risk. If left untreated, meningitis has a 50% fatality rate, making vaccination crucial.
In the UK, children receive two types of meningitis vaccine. The MenB vaccine is given to infants at around 8 weeks and again at 16 weeks, whilst teenagers and pre-teens receive the MenACWY vaccine as standard practice.
Although vaccines don't yet exist for all causes of meningitis, those that have been developed have saved millions of lives. Today, meningitis is at a historic low globally.
4. Measles, Mumps and Rubella
Commonly known as MMR, these three diseases can cause fever, rash, cough, and in serious cases, death.
The diseases were once thought of as an inevitable part of childhood but now we know the danger and have the means to prevent their spread. The combined vaccine protects against all three diseases at once.
Children receive the MMR vaccine in two doses: the first when they are 1 year old and the second when they are three years and four months old. After two doses, the MMR vaccine is effective against measles and rubella in 99% of cases and effective in 88% of cases against mumps. For those who do contract mumps after vaccination, the symptoms are usually much less severe.
Even a single dose of the MMR vaccine provides significant protection, with an effectiveness rate of 93%.
5. Hepatitis B
Worldwide, chronic hepatitis B and C causes 80% of all liver cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer death. This makes the hepatitis B vaccine the first anti-cancer vaccine ever.
The Hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in Europe in 1991 and consists of three doses given to children between the age of 0, 1–2 and 6–18 months.
Each year in the UK, around 3,000 babies are born to women who have hepatitis B infection. This infection is caused by a virus spread through blood and bodily fluids that can be passed to babies during birth, making vaccination essential for long-term protection.
WE'RE WORKING TO GET CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD VACCINATED
Few interventions are more transformative than vaccines. Despite remarkable progress, significant gaps remain. In 2024, 14.3 million children worldwide did not receive any vaccines—these are called "zero-dose children". Plus, nearly 20 million children missed at least one routine vaccine dose.
More than half of zero-dose children are concentrated in just nine countries: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Angola.
Whether a child receives a vaccine in these countries often comes down to their family's income and where they live. Geographic isolation, poverty, conflict and weak health systems all create barriers to vaccination.
That's why Save the Children works in remote areas around the world, training healthcare workers and reaching communities that others cannot, ensuring that every child—regardless of where they're born—has access to life-saving vaccines.
