Vaccinations Save 60% of Lives During Disease Outbreaks

Over many decades, vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks have occurred in low- and middle-income countries, necessitating emergency response immunization programs to save lives and reduce the costs associated with these outbreaks.

Estimates from the Global Burden of Disease indicate that between 2015 and 2019, around two million deaths per year were attributable to vaccine-preventable diseases.

Researchers at the Burnet Institute recently wrote, 'Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are still prevalent due to routine immunization programs not being available or gaps in coverage.'

To better understand this situation, these researchers provided the first-ever look at the historical impact of vaccination efforts on five infectious diseases: cholera, Ebola, measles, meningitis, and yellow fever.

Analysis based on a study funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, published on July 9, 2025, in the British Medical Journal Global Health, finds that emergency vaccination is estimated to have reduced cases and deaths by nearly 60% on average across the five diseases studied.

For diseases such as yellow fever and Ebola, outbreak response vaccination efforts are estimated to have resulted in a 99% decrease in deaths and a 76% decrease in cases, respectively.

In total, the study found that vaccination in response to 210 outbreaks generated nearly $32 billion in economic benefits from averting deaths and years of life lost to disability.

It also noted that this amount is a significant underestimate of overall savings, as it does not account for outbreak response costs or the social and macroeconomic impacts of disruptions caused by large outbreaks.

For example, the 2014 Ebola outbreak, which occurred before the existence of an approved vaccine and saw cases imported around the world, is estimated to have cost West African countries alone more than $53 billion.

"For the first time, we can comprehensively quantify the benefit, in human and economic terms, of deploying vaccines against outbreaks of some of the deadliest infectious diseases," said Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in a press release on July 11, 2025

"This study demonstrates the power of vaccines as a cost-effective countermeasure to the increasing risk the world faces from outbreaks. It also underscores the importance of fully funding Gavi, so it can continue to protect communities in the next five years to come."

Furthermore, countries in South America have reported an increasing number of yellow fever cases in 2025.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued a new epidemiological alert in response to an increase in yellow fever cases across the Americas during the first months of 2025.

The PAHO reinforces yellow fever vaccination recommendations for international travelers visiting outbreak areas, ensuring they are fully immunized to prevent this serious and potentially fatal disease.

As of July 14, 2025, yellow fever vaccinations are offered at certified travel clinics and pharmacies in the United States.