Increases in vaccine coverage and the introduction of new vaccines into LMICs have had a major impact in reducing mortality. Vaccination programs for ten selected pathogens will have averted an estimated 69 million deaths in 98 low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2030. Most of this impact has been concentrated in a reduction in mortality among children younger than 5 years (57% reduction), most notably from measles. These public health gains are predicted to increase in coming decades if progress in increasing vaccine coverage is sustained.
Rubella
Globally, immunization has a high return on investment saving billions of dollars by preventing disability, health costs, and premature deaths
By preventing illness, disability, premature death, lost wages, and other costs, this modeling study found that vaccines against ten pathogens averted $828.5 billion of economic burden in 94 low- and middle-income countries between 2021 and 2030. Immunization programs provided a high return on investment (ROI), with projections for net benefits of vaccine programs estimated at $1,445.3 billion (using a cost-of-illness approach) and $3,371.5 billion (using a value-of-a-statistical-life approach) from 2011 to 2030. For every $1 invested in immunization, there was a return on investment of $20 using cost-of-illness and $52 using a value-of-a-statistical-life approach.
Immunization campaigns against measles and rubella have improved routine immunization systems and disease prevention measures
A survey of 23 countries in all WHO regions found that activities to eliminate measles and rubella, including vaccination campaigns, have strengthened the countries’ overall routine immunization systems in a number of ways. These include microplanning that led to revised catchment populations and denominators for target-age children, expansion of cold chain systems that extended the reach of immunization, strengthening of surveillance and of outbreak preparedness and response for vaccine-preventable and other diseases.
Babies whose mothers are vaccinated against rubella before pregnancy are protected from permanent disabilities
Mothers infected with rubella virus during the first trimester of pregnancy can give birth to children with permanent disabilities such as intellectual impairment, autism, blindness, deafness, and cardiac defects. The infection is completely preventable if mothers are vaccinated before pregnancy.
Children from the poorest households experience greater benefits from immunization
A package of 5 vaccines was delivered, and it was found that children from poorer households benefited more in terms of health outcomes from immunization than did those from relatively wealthier households. Results suggest that most of the risk of dying before age five can be eliminated with full immunization in the severely health-deprived setting.
National immunization programs can be leveraged to aid in emergency outbreak responses
The detection of H1N1 influenza virus in Mexico in 2009, and subsequently throughout other countries in the Americas, benefited from the laboratory experience with measles and rubella in the region, leading to the rapid detection of, and response to, what eventually became a novel pandemic virus.
Immunization programs can support increased collaboration between health agencies
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the International Pediatric Association were included as partners in the measles and rubella elimination initiative, allowing for more direct collaboration around the interactions of primary health and immunization services and concerns.
Immunization infrastructure, personnel, and expertise from polio eradication programs allow countries to quickly respond to other diseases
In the Americas, a platform built to secure polio eradication has been expanded to help track, control, prevent, and monitor immunization impact for measles and rubella. In India, highly trained polio health workers have become the basis for a trained workforce working towards the elimination of measles and rubella and helping ensure India’s certification by WHO for having eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus.