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What Came Before COVID-19: Two Centuries Of Vaccine Development

 
• By Brenda Sandburg

Infographic timeline looks at key moments in the history of vaccine development, from the first vaccine against smallpox to the polio field trial involving 1.8 million children to the flurry of vaccines created by ‘the scientist who saved more lives than all other scientists combined.’

Vaccinating the poor of New York City against smallpox in 1872. In 1863, mass production of smallpox vaccine was developed, allowing for broad immunization of North American and European populations.
People in New York City recieve the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine • Source: Shutterstock

Looking back over the past two centuries of vaccine development puts the development of COVID-19 vaccines in historical perspective and is a reminder of the tremendous advancements that have been made in preventing infectious diseases. (See timeline below).

The efforts to make vaccines for the novel coronavirus have been unlike any other in the speed of research, industry...

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