CDC PUBLIC HEALTH IMAGE LIBRARY, JAMES GATHANY
More than 2 million newborns and infants under the age of 6 months die from infection worldwide each year—that's more than 200 every hour. In this context, vaccines are second only to clean drinking water as a cost-effective measure to reduce infant morbidity and mortality. The global eradication of smallpox and the hopefully forthcoming eradication of polio demonstrate the potential power of immunization programs. But despite a suite of vaccinations recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), including those for tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and measles, neonates and infants continue to fall victim to such infections each year, highlighting early-life susceptibility and an unmet global need for improved immunization.
Immunization of pregnant mothers, with the consequent, passive trans-placental transmission of antibodies to the ...
