HISTORY OF IMMUNIZATION

ROUTINE  IMMUNIZATION

(History)

EDWARD JENNER
The inventor of the smallpox vaccine

Immunization is proven to be an effective tool for controlling and even eradicating diseases. The smallpox vaccination is one such example of immunization that has been immensely successful in eradicating the smallpox disease completely. This vaccine was developed by Edward Jenner. An immunization campaign carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1967 to 1977 eradicated the natural occurrence of smallpox. When the programme began, the disease still threatened 60% of the world's population and killed every fourth victim.
Barely more than 200 years ago in the United Kingdom, Edward Jenner noticed that some dairymaids seemed protected from smallpox if they had already been infected by the much less dangerous virus that caused cowpox. In 1796, Jenner conducted an experiment, scratching the arm of an 8-year-old boy named James Phipps using material from a cowpox sore in one of these dairymaids. Then he repeated the same experiment, but this time added a small amount of smallpox into the same child. He hoped that the procedure would immunize the child against the deadly smallpox infection. In fact, it did. Jenner’s experiment began the immunization age. 

Louis Pasteur
Discovered the vaccine to prevent rabies

Jenner initiated immunization and many other scientist followed his route and discovered other immunizations to eradicate other deadly diseases. 
Louis Pasteur, MD, showed that disease could be prevented by infecting humans with weakened germs. In 1885, Dr. Pasteur used a vaccine to successfully prevent rabies in a boy named Joseph Meister who had been bitten by a rabid dog. By the mid-20th century, regular progress in immunizations was made. Jonas Salk, MD, and Albert Sabin, MD, made what are perhaps the bestknown advances—they developed the inactivated polio vaccine and live polio vaccine, respectively. Their discoveries have saved countless children worldwide from polio, a disease that often left youngsters dependent on wheelchairs or crutches for life.
Today if Immunization has become a great success its because of the initiation and attempt made by both Jenner and Pasteur.