Let's start with the impact of vaccines. Infant mortality worldwide dropped from 10% in 1974 to 4% by 2021. Factors that drove this change include lower poverty, better nutrition, cleaner air and water, antibiotics and other treatments. But one of the biggest contributors (WHO concludes), was vaccines. In the 50 years since 1974, vaccines prevented 154 million deaths. 101 million were infants. The averted deaths are mainly in young people, who live an average of 66 years - an astounding 9 billion additional years of life. Have you had all the important vaccines to protect yourself and others?

The smallpox vaccine was the first vaccine to be developed in 1796 when British physician Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus conferred immunity against the more deadly smallpox virus. Cowpox served as a natural vaccine until the modern smallpox vaccine emerged in the 20th century. From 1958 to 1977, the WHO conducted a global vaccination campaign that eradicated smallpox - the only human disease to be eradicated. The vaccine is still produced to guard against bioterrorism, biological warfare, and mpox (Monkeypox). Did you know the concept of vaccines dates back to 1796?

Through vaccination campaigns by the WHO, in sub-Saharan Africa in 2021, 68 percent of 1-year-olds received a first dose of the measles vaccine, 78 percent received the tuberculosis vaccine, and 70–71 percent received the vaccines against hepatitis B, polio, and diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis. TB persists in North America unfortunately in poor and indigenous populations. It is very much a disease of poverty. I myself had TB in childhood from my father who got TB while in the Royal Navy in WW11. Do you know anyone who has had any of the diseases listed above?

The measles vaccine, in particular, deserves pride of place in this story in that it averted 93.7 million deaths from 1974 onward, the most deaths averted by vaccines in general. Stamping out measles through vaccination enabled it to go from a fast-spreading lethal threat to a relic of the past — though anti-vaccine activists threaten to undo some of that progress. Vaccines have historically been one of our best tools for saving lives and efforts to discover and distribute new ones for diseases like malaria and ebola should be given equal priority. Do you agree?

Antivaxx sentiment come to a head (again) during the Covid-19 pandemic, with protests and rhetoric similar to the smallpox vaccine in the 19th century. 16% of Americans said they would "definitely not" get vaccinated or only if required to, a number that's remained relatively stable. To achieve herd immunity for measles, 95% of the population must be vaccinated or have had the disease and that number currently is at 90%. Waning immunity is particularly problematic in settings that have eliminated measles due to the lack of immunological boosting from circulating virus. Should governments mandate the measles vaccine at least until that 95% target is reached?