From variolation to mRNA — the story of vaccination.
Variolation, a method of inoculating people with smallpox material, was introduced to America. This technique had been used in Asia and Africa for centuries. While variolation could sometimes cause deadly smallpox, it generally produced a milder case than natural infection.
English physician Edward Jenner developed the first vaccine using cowpox material to protect against smallpox. He observed that milkmaids who contracted cowpox seemed immune to smallpox. His breakthrough laid the foundation for modern vaccination. The word "vaccine" comes from the Latin "vacca" for cow.
Vaccination spread across Europe and the Americas. In 1809, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to require smallpox vaccination. By the mid-1800s, compulsory vaccination laws were established in many countries.
Louis Pasteur developed the first rabies vaccine, successfully treating a young boy bitten by a rabid dog. This was the first vaccine developed for a disease not naturally found in animals (unlike smallpox which existed in both humans and animals).
Emil von Behring discovered that diphtheria could be treated with antitoxins—substances in the blood that neutralize toxins. This work earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Alcock and Wright developed a typhoid vaccine. In 1905, the tetanus toxoid vaccine was developed. These vaccines were initially used primarily in military settings.
Jonas Salk's inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) was declared safe and effective. The vaccine eliminated most polio cases in the United States within years. The Salk vaccine was injected.
Albert Sabin's oral polio vaccine (OPV) was licensed. The OPV was easier to administer and provided intestinal immunity, but carried a very rare risk of vaccine-derived polio. The OPV was used in mass vaccination campaigns globally.
The 1960s saw the development of vaccines for measles (1963), mumps (1967), and rubella (1969), which were later combined into the MMR vaccine (1971).
The first recombinant vaccine (Hepatitis B) was developed using genetic engineering. This marked a new era in vaccine development.
Congress passed the NCVIA in response to concerns about vaccine supply and liability. The Act created the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), established VAERS, and required vaccine information inserts.
Hepatitis A vaccine was introduced, completing the major hepatitis vaccination series.
The first HPV vaccine (Gardasil) was approved to prevent cervical and other cancers caused by human papillomavirus. The vaccine protects against the strains of HPV that cause most cervical cancers.
The first vaccine for meningococcal serogroup B (MenB) was approved in the US, completing protection against all major causes of bacterial meningitis.
In record time, mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) were developed and authorized for COVID-19. These were the first mRNA vaccines to receive emergency use authorization, marking a revolutionary new vaccine platform.
The first RSV vaccines for older adults (Arexvy, Abrysvo) and pregnant people (maternal immunization) were approved, providing protection against respiratory syncytial virus.