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First Vaccine
Edward Jenner in 1796 introduced the first vaccine to the world which combated smallpox and its rapid spreading ability at the time. His development was due to his observation that those who contracted cowpox would not catch smallpox later on. This would pave the way for modern vaccination and sickness prevention. -
First Anti-Vaccination Movement
Right after Edward Jenner had developed his vaccination method many across the country were quick to deem it negative and damaging. The vaccine process included inserting an infected piece of skin into a childs arm for them to then absorb the virus and thus not contract smallpox in the future which was a very new concept for the people who were introduced to the idea. -
Anti Vaccination Society of America
In 1879 the Anti Vaccination Society of America was created by those who were seeking to repeal the governing laws that required children and adults to get vaccines before they were able to participate in normal societal activities. -
Great Ormond Street Hospital
In the mid 1970's the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London had an influx of children due to a recent vaccine allegedly causing neurological issues to a group of 36 kids. This was a prominent event that led to a distrust in vaccines and began making people skeptical if they should put their kid under the needle. -
Green Vaccine Movement
Since vaccines now had to be mass produced they had to include a preservative to keep their shelf life longer so they wouldn't go to waste. The ingredient Thimerosal was used which is a compound that includes trace amounts of mercury, although it hasn't been established if Thimerosal harms us the manufacturers decided to eliminate it as much as possible from vaccine ingredients. This movement was started because of the mercury scare and pushed vaccines to have safer compounds inside. -
Polio Eradication
In the year 2000 the entire Western Pacific Region was declared Polio-free and was a huge landmark in showing the world that vaccines work and are extremely beneficial to society. -
Shot@Life
In 2012 the United Nations founded the Shot@Life organization which aims to provide kids around the world who are in areas stricken with poverty and underdevelopment access to life saving vaccines they otherwise would never receive. -
Measles
In 2016 the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that measles has been eliminated in the Americas due to the vaccine. This was another huge moment that showed how we can use immunization to completely eradicate deadly disease.
