Vaccines save lives

Full implementation of existing vaccines would save 2.5 million lives per year or 25 million lives during the 2011 – 2020 Global Action Plan (WHO)

We need to work to ensure maximal rates of vaccination

Vaccines prevent cancer
(Hepatitis B, HPV)
Vaccines eradicate disease
(Smallpox)

Vaccines = Value, in human and financial dimensions

Saving a life costs very, very little

Sample pricing in 2013 of vaccines contracted with suppliers by UNICEF, the world’s largest vaccine buyer

Meningitis $ 0.58
BCG
Fights tuberculosis
$ 0.07
Rotavirus
Fights severe diarrhea
$ 3.50
Measles $ 0.24
Hepatitis B $ 0.16
DTP
Fights diphtheria,
tetanus and pertussis
$ 0.19
Measles, mumps
and rubella
$ 0.97
Yellow fever $ 0.70

Vaccine Return On Investment (VROI): 44 to 1

For every $1 spent on vaccines, $16 are saved in future healthcare costs, lost income, and lost productivity.
If all indirect costs are included, the ROI is 44:1 (Ozawa et al, Health Affairs, 2016).

Vaccination has incalculable value for individuals, communities, and society as a whole

Generating incalculable value
  • Vaccination of children protects adults
  • Vaccination improves educational attainment/IQ
  • Prevents antimicrobial resistance
  • Improves childhood survival and lowers birthrates
  • Improves parental productivity
  • Reduces poverty
Saving lives
  • Full implementation of existing vaccines would save 2.5 million lives per year (WHO)
  • Vaccines eradicate disease (Smallpox)
  • Vaccines prevent cancer (Hepatitis B, HPV)
  • Vaccines have a very high rate of return
  • HIV, TB, malaria, Group A Streptococcus, non-Typhoid Salmonella and Shigella are estimated to result in 5 million deaths each year
Protecting personal and societal health
  • The World Bank estimates that the cost of outbreaks in the 21st century is 1.6 trillion dollars : MERS cost $10 billion, SARS $40 billion, Ebola $6 billion
  • High Return On Investment: For every $1 spent on vaccines, $16 are saved in future healthcare costs, lost income, and lost productivity. If all indirect costs are included, the ROI is 44:1 (Health Affairs, 2016).