Vaccines: Origin and evolution throughout history

Abstract

Throughout the history of medicine, vaccines have been one of the most used weapons by humans to prevent diseases and create immunity, having a great impact on both society and the health of individuals and communities, constituting an authentic guarantee to achieve stability and the maintenance of the public health of the population. In this monograph, a compilation, reflective, detailed, and specific study of vaccines within the history of medicine are carried out through a bibliographic search to know in depth the vaccines, their origin, evolution, and role-played throughout all time. Vaccination is one of the greatest advances in public health at the global, national, community, and individual levels, the introduction of immunization has allowed unquestionable benefits, impacting social systems, reducing the cost of treatments, and the incidence of infectious diseases and the mortality from them. Vaccines will have, among others, a social and economic impact, since preventing diseases favors the economic level, the quality of life, and social well-being. Vaccines and their administration techniques evolve in parallel since over time both have progressed, they have experienced progress both in their preparation and in the way they are administered, and with it the material and human resources used to do so.