In a dimly lit laboratory, sometime in the late 18th century, a physician noticed something: people infected with cowpox were immune to smallpox. His name was Edward Jenner and history would soon abbreviate his legacy to a simple concept: vaccination. The work Jenner embarked upon was the medical equivalent of alchemy, transforming the scourge of smallpox into a weapon against itself.
The story of vaccines, like many tales of scientific discovery, is one of keen observation and calculated risk. It began with Jenner’s realisation that milkmaids who contracted cowpox seemed immune to the far deadlier smallpox. This insight led to the first crude vaccine, a concoction that would make modern medical boards shudder—pus from a cowpox lesion deliberately introduced into a human subject.
As years went by, research institutions were filled with scientists undertaking similar missions, each adding their own two cents to immunology. Frenchman Louis Pasteur, hunched over his microscopes and petri dishes, weakened the rabies virus to create a vaccine that would save countless lives. His method of attenuation—the deliberate weakening of pathogens—became a cornerstone of vaccine development, a practice that many describe as being as delicate and precise as a watchmaker crafting timepieces.
With the 20th century came the golden age of vaccine research. In labs across the world, determined minds waged war against invisible enemies. Polio, once the terror of summer, found its match in American virologist Jonas Salk’s injectable vaccine and Albert Sabin’s oral drops. [ Many say it was Polish scientist Sabin’s oral drops, not exactly Salk’s vaccine, that truly defeated polio.] Measles, mumps, and rubella—childhood’s unwelcome companions—were corralled into a single shot, the MMR vaccine, a medical hat trick that would reshape public health. Interestingly, Maurice Hilleman, the American scientist who developed the MMR vaccine, developed more than 40 vaccines and is rightfully called the “father of modern vaccines”.
Evidently, vaccines have had a deep impact on the world’s economy and productivity. By preventing debilitating and deadly diseases, they have helped create a healthier, more productive workforce. The WHO estimates that vaccines prevent 2-3 million deaths annually, allowing millions more to contribute to their economies. Experts say that for every $1 invested in vaccination in the world’s 94 lowest-income countries, $16 is expected to be saved in healthcare costs, lost wages, and lost productivity due to illness.
Specific diseases tell a compelling story: the eradication of smallpox, achieved in 1980 through vaccination, is estimated to save the world $1 billion annually. The fight against polio, while not yet complete, has already produced substantial economic benefits. A 2010 study estimated that the Global Polio Eradication Initiative would generate net benefits of $40-50 billion between 1988 and 2035. In the US, the CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that for children born in 2009, routine childhood immunisation would prevent an estimated 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease, with a net savings of $13.5 billion in direct costs and $68.8 billion in total societal costs.
By reducing the burden of disease, vaccines have allowed for increased school attendance, higher productivity, and reduced healthcare expenditures, contributing significantly to economic growth and development worldwide.
That said, like all tales of human endeavour, the story of vaccines is not without its dark chapters. Tragic missteps and ethically questionable experiments dot the landscape of its growth. The Cutter Incident of 1955, where improperly inactivated polio vaccines led to cases of paralysis, serves as a stark reminder of the razor’s edge on which vaccine development balances.
New challenges keep coming up. The race for an HIV vaccine has become a marathon with no finish line in sight. The spectre of bioterrorism prompted research into vaccines for anthrax and smallpox, diseases once thought relegated to history books.
And in the shadows, a movement grew, one that questioned the very foundations of vaccination. In fact, the fight against vaccines is almost as old as vaccines themselves. As soon as Jenner introduced smallpox vaccination in 1796, some people began to oppose it. They had fears of its safety and religious objections to the idea. In the 1800s, groups were formed to speak out against mandatory vaccination laws. They claimed vaccines were unsafe and went against personal freedom. These early anti-vaccine movements gained some support, but most people still got vaccinated.
The modern anti-vaccine movement really took off in 1998. That year, British academic Andrew Wakefield published a paper claiming the MMR vaccine might cause autism. Later studies showed this wasn’t true. The paper was found to be fraudulent and was retracted. Wakefield lost his medical licence. But the damage was done. The false autism link spread widely and scared many parents. Since then, anti-vaccine groups, fuelled by discredited studies and celebrity endorsements, have made many other claims that don’t hold up to scientific scrutiny.
These campaigns have real effects. Vaccination rates have dropped in some areas, leading to outbreaks of preventable diseases. In 2019, measles cases in the US hit a 27-year high. Polio is making a comeback in India as well.
The anti-vaccine movement gained a lot of momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the latest scare being against the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. For those swayed by the campaigns against COVID vaccines and their side effects, I’d recommend this highly informative essay “Vaccine side effects: Real but rare; blanket ban not the answer” by scientist Partha P. Majumder, where he argues why we should trust evidence-based science over anti-vaccine claims.
It’s normal to have questions about medical treatments. But it’s important to look to reliable sources for answers. Read the piece and tell us what you think.
Wishing you a healthy life,
For Frontline,
Jinoy Jose P.
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