Vaccination Through the Centuries

Vaccination heads the list of America's 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Prevention of major diseases has challenged physicians and scientists throughout time. While smallpox vaccine development officially began in 1721, earlier attempts at vaccination date back as far as 12th century China.

Thanks to vaccines, Americans have enjoyed dramatic improvements in their overall health and life expectancy over the past 100 years. Smallpox, a deadly, highly contagious illness that can quickly spread, has been eliminated worldwide. In addition, polio has been eliminated from the Western Hemisphere. Infections long feared for their severe symptoms and often serious, long-term consequences — measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and others — are now able to be controlled by immunization.

As one of medicine's greatest success stories, vaccination remains our nation's most effective safeguard against infectious diseases. On the right are links to selected highlights of major milestones in the long and continuing history of vaccination; click on a specific time period for details.

This timeline was adapted from information presented in Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: The Pink Book, 7th Edition, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Vaccines, 4th Edition, by Stanley A. Plotkin, MD, and Walter A. Orenstein, MD.