History of Vaccine in Timeline

A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. Vaccines are widely studied and verified for safety and effectiveness. They typically contain an agent resembling a disease-causing microorganism, often weakened or killed microbes, toxins, or surface proteins. This agent stimulates the immune system to recognize and destroy the threat, providing future protection against the microorganism.

1928: Diphtheria vaccine incident

In 1928, a Staphylococcus infection killed 12 of 21 children inoculated with a diphtheria vaccine that lacked a preservative.

1931: Culturing viruses in eggs

In 1931, Alice Miles Woodruff and Ernest Goodpasture documented that the fowlpox virus could be grown in embryonated chicken egg, paving the way for cultivating other viruses in eggs.

1935: Yellow fever vaccine development using eggs

In 1935, eggs were utilized for virus propagation during the development of a yellow fever vaccine.

1945: Influenza vaccine development using eggs

In 1945, eggs were used for virus propagation in the development of an influenza vaccine.

1958: Measles cases in the United States

In 1958, the United States experienced 763,094 cases of measles, resulting in 552 deaths.

1959: Growth media and cell culture replaced eggs

In 1959, growth media and cell culture replaced eggs as the standard method of virus propagation for vaccines.

1990: Pertussis vaccine used as adjuvant for anthrax vaccine.

In 1990, in preparation for the Persian Gulf campaign, whole cell pertussis vaccine was used as an adjuvant for anthrax vaccine to produce a more rapid immune response.

1999: DIVA vaccines coined

Since 1999 DIVA vaccines were coined. The first DIVA vaccines and companion diagnostic tests were developed by J. T. van Oirschot and colleagues.

2001: Dengue vaccine study

A 2001 study noted a problem with dengue vaccines where the DEN-3 serotype predominated and suppressed the response to DEN-1, -2, and -4 serotypes.

2003: Idea of vaccine production via transgenic plants identified

The idea of vaccine production via transgenic plants was identified as early as 2003.

2005: Thiomersal in childhood vaccines

As of 2005, the only childhood vaccine in the U.S. that contains thiomersal in greater than trace amounts is the influenza vaccine, recommended only for children with certain risk factors. Single-dose influenza vaccines in the UK do not list thiomersal in the ingredients.

2005: Bananas developed that produce a human vaccine against hepatitis B

In 2005, bananas were developed that produce a human vaccine against hepatitis B.

2006: Introduction of shingles vaccine

In 2006, a vaccine was introduced against shingles, a disease caused by the chickenpox virus, which usually affects the elderly.

2008: Measles cases in 2008

In early 2008, there were 64 suspected cases of measles in the United States, with a majority of infections linked to importation from other countries. Most of the infected individuals were either unvaccinated or uncertain about their vaccination status.

2009: HPV vaccine recommendation in the UK

As of 2009, the human papillomavirus vaccine is recommended in the UK.

2011: HPV vaccine recommendation in the U.S.

As of 2011, the human papillomavirus vaccine is recommended in the U.S.

2013: Vaccine market share and manufacturing details

In 2013, Merck, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Novartis accounted for 70% of vaccine sales, concentrated in the EU and US. Developing countries are playing an increasing role in vaccine manufacturing, particularly with older vaccines and in Brazil, India and China.

2013: Synthetic third-generation vaccines development

Since at least 2013, scientists have been trying to develop synthetic third-generation vaccines by reconstructing the outside structure of a virus, hoping to prevent vaccine resistance.

2016: DNA vaccine testing for Zika virus

In 2016, a DNA vaccine for the Zika virus began testing at the National Institutes of Health, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals and GeneOne Life Science began tests of a different DNA vaccine against Zika in Miami.

2019: WHO characterizes vaccine hesitancy as a global health threat

In 2019, the World Health Organization characterized vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten global health threats.

2020: mRNA vaccines developed

In the year 2020, mRNA vaccines such as BNT162b2 were developed with the help of Operation Warp Speed and massively deployed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021: Horwitz Prize for mRNA vaccine technology

In 2021, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman received Columbia University's Horwitz Prize for their pioneering research in mRNA vaccine technology.

2021: WTO evaluates waiving intellectual property rights and patents on COVID-19 vaccines

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Trade Organization and governments considered waiving intellectual property rights and patents on COVID-19 vaccines to improve access and scale up manufacturing.