Home

 › 

Culture

 › 

These Vaccines Have Prevented the Most Deaths

doctor's hand holds a syringe and a blue vaccine bottle at the hospital. Health and medical concepts.

These Vaccines Have Prevented the Most Deaths

Published: by Liam Frady

What vaccines have prevented the most deaths around the world? Vaccinations are a divisive subject, but they are one of the biggest medical breakthroughs of the last 300 years. Preventing diseases has proven instrumental in making sure people live longer and healthier lives.

Neisseria Meningitidis A

This is one of a few vaccines that only affect a single geographical area around the world.

©BaLL LunLa/Shutterstock.com

  • Africa: 2,000
  • Americas: N/A
  • Eastern Mediterranean: N/A
  • Europe: N/A
  • South-east Asia: N/A
  • Western Pacific: N/A
  • Worldwide: 2,000

Japanese Encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis can be deadly, but thankfully vaccines curtail it.

©diy13/Shutterstock.com

  • Africa: N/A
  • Americas: N/A
  • Eastern Mediterranean: N/A
  • Europe: N/A
  • South-east Asia: 20,000
  • Western Pacific: 10,000
  • Worldwide: 29,000

Rubella

Rubella vaccines are typically given at birth in the United States.

©Dmitryp-k/Shutterstock.com

  • Africa: 45,000
  • Americas: 30,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 34,000
  • Europe: 14,000
  • South-east Asia: 112,000
  • Western Pacific: 50,000
  • Worldwide: 286,000

Diphtheria

This is one malady that you don’t hear about often, and for good reason.

©"Eight-year-old Saddam, pictured being examined by Dr Iain Lennon of the UK's Emergency Medical Team, in a clinic in the Kutupalong camp for Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh, a day after receiving treatment for diphtheria" by DFID - UK Department for International Development is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 210,000
  • Americas: 7,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 30,000
  • Europe: 3,000
  • South-east Asia: 84,000
  • Western Pacific: 23,000
  • Worldwide: 357,000

Rotavirus

Rotavirus is a worldwide illness, one which thankfully does have a vaccine to prevent it.

©"Woman about to receive a vaccine from a medical professional" by SELF Magazine is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 228,000
  • Americas: 31,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 67,000
  • Europe: 4,000
  • South-east Asia: 62,000
  • Western Pacific: 4,000
  • Worldwide: 396,000

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis B can be deadly, but thankfully modern vaccines prevent it.

©"Engerix B (Hepatitis B) vaccine" by Whispyhistory is licensed under BY-SA 4.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 129,000
  • Americas: 18,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 27,000
  • Europe: 24,000
  • South-east Asia: 73,000
  • Western Pacific: 203,000
  • Worldwide: 464,000

Yellow Fever

Yellow fever is most common in environments with plenty of mosquitoes, but the vaccine is quite effective.

©"Yellow Fever mosquito?" by John Tann is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 549,000
  • Americas: 8,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 1,000
  • Europe: N/A
  • South-east Asia: N/A
  • Western Pacific: N/A
  • Worldwide: 554,000

Polio

Polio isn’t nearly as deadly in the modern era.

©"Polio Virus" by vitroid is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 151,000
  • Americas: 218,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 119,000
  • Europe: 244,000
  • South-east Asia: 347,000
  • Western Pacific: 491,000
  • Worldwide: 1,570,000

Streptococcus Pneumoniae

I’m thankful there are vaccines for this ailment.

©"Streptococcus pneumoniae - A causative bacteria of meningitis" by www.scientificanimations.com is licensed under BY-SA 4.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 1,026,0000
  • Americas: 69,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 284,000
  • Europe: 31,000
  • South-east Asia: 137,000
  • Western Pacific: 70,000
  • Worldwide: 1,628,000

Haemophilus Influenzae Type B

With over 2.8 million lives saved yearly, this is a testament to the effectiveness of vaccines.

©"File:Act-HIb.jpg" by melvil is licensed under BY-SA 4.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 1,534,000
  • Americas: 181,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 422,000
  • Europe: 36,000
  • South-east Asia: 603,000
  • Western Pacific: 71,000
  • Worldwide: 2,845,000

Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is no longer a death sentence thanks to modern medicine.

©"Firland Tuberculosis Hospital beds, 1927" by Seattle Municipal Archives is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 6,568,000
  • Americas: 231,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 822,000
  • Europe: 108,000
  • South-east Asia: 2,416,000
  • Western Pacific: 756,000
  • Worldwide: 10,874,000

Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

Whooping cough vaccines are typically given at birth.

©"Bordetella pertussis on Charcoal Agar supplemented with Cephalexin - Detail" by Nathan Reading from Halesowen, UK is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 4,197,000
  • Americas: 367,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 1,861,000
  • Europe: 231,000
  • South-east Asia: 4,437,000
  • Western Pacific: 2,058,000
  • Worldwide: 13,173,000

Tetanus

Tetanus can be devastating, so make sure you stay up to date with your shots.

©"tetanus shot time" by blakespot is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 9,544,000
  • Americas: 65,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 8,501,000
  • Europe: 21,000
  • South-east Asia: 9,218,000
  • Western Pacific: 586,000
  • Worldwide: 27,948,000

Measles

Measles can prove deadly, so keeping up to date with vaccines for your kids is recommended.

©"Fighting the killer measles" by Julien Harneis is licensed under BY-SA 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 28,660,000
  • Americas: 14,894,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 12,887,000
  • Europe: 6,562,000
  • South-east Asia: 20,517,000
  • Western Pacific: 10,192,000
  • Worldwide: 93,712,000

Totals

The modern world owes quite a bit to vaccines.

©"Young girl receiving a vaccine in her arm" by SELF Magazine is licensed under BY 2.0. - Original / License

  • Africa: 52,843,000
  • Americas: 16,119,000
  • Eastern Mediterranean: 25,055,000
  • Europe: 7,278,000
  • South-east Asia: 38,026,000
  • Western Pacific: 14,514,000
  • Worldwide: 153,838,000

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Me dia/Shutterstock.com.

To top