Vaccination during outbreaks of diseases like cholera, Ebola, or measles has reduced the number of deaths by approximately 60% over the past 25 years, according to research from the Australian Burnet Institute published this week in the British Medical Journal Global Health.
Moreover, a similar percentage of infections has been prevented. The economic benefit of such vaccinations is estimated to be in the billions of euros.
The study examined 210 epidemics of five infectious diseases—cholera, Ebola, measles, meningitis, and yellow fever—in 49 countries between 2000 and 2023.
The findings reveal that vaccines have reduced the death toll by nearly 60%. The results are even more striking for certain diseases, with deaths from yellow fever decreasing by 99% and from Ebola by 76%. Vaccinations have also lowered the risk of epidemics spreading.
The research further indicates that vaccination efforts have generated about 27 billion euros in economic benefits by preventing deaths and disabilities. The researchers believe this figure may even be an underestimate.
“For the first time, we can extensively quantify the human and economic benefits of deploying vaccines against some of the most lethal infectious disease epidemics,” stated Sania Nishtar, head of vaccine alliance Gavi, in a press release. “This study clearly demonstrates the power of vaccines as a cost-effective solution to the growing global epidemic risk.”
