Worldwide infant mortality rate drops by two-third over 50 years: Report

In Southeast Asia alone, 38.04 million lives were saved by vaccines in 2024, compared to 34.82 million in 2020, 15.70 million in 2000, and 5.35 million in 1990

Over the last 50 years, infant mortality rates have drastically fallen worldwide, dropping by more than two-third from 10 per cent in 1974 to less than 3 per cent. A significant factor behind this decline has been the global expansion of vaccination programmes. According to a recent study by Andrew Shattock and an international research team published in The Lancet and shared by Our World in Data, vaccines alone have reduced infant mortality by 40 per cent. The study estimates that without vaccines, infant mortality rates would be much higher.

Global impact of vaccinations

Vaccinations have saved an estimated 150 million children over the last five decades. The decline in mortality due to vaccines is spread across various diseases, with the largest impact seen in the fight against measles, which alone accounted for 94 million lives saved or over 60 per cent of the total reduction.

Global vaccination impact in 2024:

- Africa saw over 50 million children’s lives saved.

- Southeast Asia saw over 38 million lives saved.

- More than five million children were saved in every other WHO region.

- More than 16 million lives saved in the Americas.

- More than seven million in Europe.

Vaccination impact in Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia, 38.04 million lives were saved by vaccines in 2024, compared to 34.82 million in 2020, 15.70 million in 2000, and 5.35 million in 1990 — a clear sign of the progress achieved in immunisation efforts. However, further work is needed to sustain and expand these life-saving programmes.

Vaccination and immunisation efforts in India

The first known vaccination effort in India was against smallpox. The British introduced the smallpox vaccine in 1802, shortly after Edward Jenner’s discovery in 1796. Vaccination efforts were expanded over the years, but uptake was slow. After gaining independence in 1947, India launched several public health initiatives, including immunisation programmes, but access to vaccines and logistical challenges resulted in low coverage.

The government established the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) to combat six vaccine-preventable diseases: tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, and measles. This marked the first major nationwide immunisation drive in India. EPI was later revamped into the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) in 1985 to expand coverage. The UIP today covers 12 diseases, including hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, and rotavirus.

Mission Indradhanush was introduced in 2014 to vaccinate all children and pregnant women in the country. In 2021 following the Covid-19 pandemic, India launched its largest vaccination drives to date, using vaccines like Covishield (AstraZeneca) and Covaxin (developed by Bharat Biotech). By 2022, India had administered over two billion doses.

Vaccines for older children

Vaccines have had the most profound impact on infants, but older children have also benefited significantly. The introduction of vaccines into immunisation programmes for diseases like tuberculosis, measles, polio, hepatitis B, and diphtheria has ensured a massive reduction in child mortality rates.

Global vaccination programmes

Before 1974, less than 5 per cent of infants globally were vaccinated against major diseases like diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DTP3). The formation of the Essential Programme on Immunization by the WHO in 1974 changed this. This initiative aimed to vaccinate children worldwide against critical diseases. By the year 2000, around 60 per cent of the world’s children were being vaccinated, though gaps remained, especially in poorer regions like Africa and Asia.

The establishment of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance in 2000, a partnership between the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, WHO, Unicef, and the World Bank, further accelerated immunisation efforts. As a result:

- Over 80 per cent of infants today receive all necessary doses of the DTP3 vaccine.

- Global measles vaccination rates have increased from less than 20 per cent in 2000 to over 70 per cent today.

- Over 84 per cent of children are vaccinated against tuberculosis, and around 80 per cent are vaccinated against polio and hepatitis B.

Challenges with vaccinations

Despite these gains, diseases like tuberculosis still cause more than a million deaths annually, while meningitis, whooping cough, measles, tetanus, and hepatitis B continue to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year. The fight against preventable diseases continues, but recent advancements, like the development of malaria vaccines, bring hope. Two recommended malaria vaccines have the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives, provided there is sustained investment and coordinated efforts by governments.

Vaccine scepticism and anti-vaxxers

While most people worldwide support childhood vaccinations, scepticism persists in certain countries. Those who oppose vaccinations, referred to as "anti-vaxxers", reject or are sceptical of vaccines due to religious beliefs, mistrust in medical authorities, or concerns about government intervention. Modern-day anti-vaxxers also believe that vaccines can cause autism in children after British doctor Andrew Wakefield falsely linked the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to autism in 1998.

To combat this, governments and medical organisations around the world have revamped efforts on education and public awareness while ensuring transparency in medical practices. Social media platforms and fact-checking organisations are also working on curbing misinformation.