Invented by : Thomas Francis and Jonas Salk Education : The University of Michigan

The 1918 influenza epidemic killed an estimated 50m people at the end of the First World War , spreading quickly due to the squalid conditions bred by the conflict . When the US joined WW2 , American physician Thomas Francis was tasked with creating a vaccine . Tested on the US military , the vaccine was licensed for wider use in 1945 . Now , the influenza vaccine plays a vital role in controlling seasonal flu outbreaks , protecting the vaccinated while also lowering the transmission potential to vulnerable populations .

Invented by : Edward Jenner

Smallpox was a highly-contagious , deadly disease that caused the deaths of millions and featured in many of Charles Dickens ’ books . Its impact on Indigenous populations during European colonisation was especially tragic , with mortality rates reaching 90 % in some communities lacking immunity .

The first smallpox vaccine was produced by English physician Edward Jenner in 1796 , when he noticed that milkmaids who ’ d had cowpox were protected from smallpox . Subsequent successful vaccination campaigns led to the eradication of smallpox in 1980 .

136 July 2023