Advancements in Prevention
“AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.”
– Ben Franklin, “On Protection of Towns from Fire,” The Philadelphia Gazette, February 4, 1735
While Ben Franklin’s famous insight about prevention was advocating for fire safety, it also applies to preventing disease and premature death. Here are some highlights in the advancement of prevention throughout history.
1000: First attempts at smallpox inoculation documented in China and India
1796: First-ever vaccine invented by Edward Jenner — for smallpox.
- Prior to 1796, smallpox caused 7.7% (1 in 13) of all deaths.
- 1980: Smallpox declared eradicated worldwide.
1918–1920: Global Influenza outbreak causes ~50 million deaths.
- 1945: First influenza vaccine licensed in the U.S.
- 2017–18: Flu shot prevents ~6.2 million cases and 5,700 flu-related deaths in U.S.
1952: Jonas Salk invents first effective vaccine for polio, a highly contagious virus that can cause paralysis and kill ~5% of children and ~30% of adults who are infected.
- 1957: Albert Sabin develops vaccine for three types of polio virus.
- 1994: Polio eliminated in the Americas. By 2018, polio is eliminated or interrupted in most of the world. Global cases reduced from 350,000 in 1988 to 29 in 2019.
1971: Measles, mumps, rubella vaccine licensed, inducing 94% to 96% immunity.
- Before the vaccine, measles killed an estimated 2.6 million people each year. In 2018, measles killed 140,000 people globally.
1981: First official reporting in Los Angeles of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
- 1984: Scientists identify human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the cause of AIDS. The U.S. government announces goal of a vaccine within two years.
- 1992: AIDS is No. 1 killer of U.S. men aged 25–44.
- 1997: AIDS deaths decline by 47% from previous year due to a combination of drugs to suppress growth of HIV.
- 2009: Clinical trials of HIV vaccine show modest preventive effect, but not enough for widespread vaccination.– Vaccine development continues due to HIV’s frequent mutations and the challenge of identifying an immune response effective at controlling the virus.
- 2012: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which reduces risk of contracting HIV if exposed. For the first time, the majority of people eligible for treatment are receiving it (54%).
- 2019: Annual HIV infections have decreased by more than 66% since the 1980s. Approximately 38 million people are infected with HIV globally, including 1.2 million in the U.S.
2006: FDA approves Gardasil, a vaccine that protects against human papillomavirus (HPV). Approximately 14 million Americans contract HPV annually, which can cause several types of cancer.
- HPV causes ~35,000 cancer cases in the U.S. annually. HPV vaccine can prevent more than 90% of these cancers.
- Since the vaccine was deployed, infections causing most HPV-related cancers have dropped 86% in teen girls. Among vaccinated women, cervical precancers caused by HPV have dropped 40%.
- About 35,000 cancer cases linked to HPV develop in the U.S. annually. HPV vaccination can prevent more than 90% of these cancers.
2015: FDA approves an oral treatment for hepatitis C, which cures 90% of cases with few side effects.
- In 2018, the CDC estimated 50,300 people contracted hepatitis C, with 15,713 deaths.
2019-2021: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, declared a pandemic. As of December 18, of 51 vaccine candidates in development globally, FDA approved two for emergency use in U.S.
