Vaccination (1796): Edward Jenner’s development of the smallpox vaccine laid the foundation for immunology and preventive medicine. Observing that milkmaids who contracted cowpox were immune to smallpox, Jenner deliberately infected a boy with cowpox material and later exposed him to smallpox, proving protection. This principle of using a less harmful pathogen to induce immunity against a deadly one was revolutionary. Vaccination led to the eventual global eradication of smallpox by 1980, the only human disease to be eradicated. It has since prevented countless deaths from diseases like polio, measles, tetanus, and influenza. Vaccines train the immune system to recognize and fight pathogens, providing herd immunity and protecting vulnerable populations. The development of mRNA vaccines (e.g., for COVID-19) represents a new frontier. Vaccination is one of public health’s most effective tools, dramatically increasing life expectancy and enabling safer global travel and community living, fundamentally changing humanity’s relationship with infectious disease.
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