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Isabel Cendala y Gómez (sometimes anglicized to Isabel Zendal), a nurse from 18th-century Spain, became an unsung public health hero when she joined the Balmis Expedition, the world’s first international vaccination campaign. Her work with orphaned children, who were used to carry the smallpox vaccine from Europe to the...

With the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, we decided to post the following blog post about the role of the Catholic Church in the history of vaccines ahead of schedule. This post was initially going to be part of a series on the roles of major...

The recent measles outbreak in Texas, which has tragically resulted in the deaths of two unvaccinated children, raises important questions about how religious beliefs influence vaccination decisions. As of the latest reports, at least 700 measles cases have been confirmed in four US states and the Mexican State of Chihuahua...

In the annals of the American Revolutionary War, we often focus on the military tactics, political maneuvering, and battlefield heroics that secured independence. However, one of General George Washington’s most consequential decisions had nothing to do with troop formations or artillery placement. Instead, it involved a bold medical intervention that...

During the 1989–1991 U.S. measles epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente conducted a clinical trial in Los Angeles testing the Edmonston-Zagreb (E-Z) measles vaccine on nearly 1,500 predominantly Black and Latino infants. The study aimed to compare the experimental E-Z vaccine, used...

Before diving into the details of anti-vaccine rhetoric, let's establish a foundational truth: vaccines rank among medicine's greatest achievements, preventing millions of deaths annually. By some estimates, vaccines have saved over 150 million lives in the last 50 years. That’s 150 million who are our neighbors, friends, and...

The 2025 influenza season has surged to unprecedented levels, with flu activity across the United States reaching its highest intensity since the 2009 swine flu pandemic. According to the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu-related doctor’s visits and hospitalizations have skyrocketed, making this...

Rabies, historically known as hydrophobia due to the terrifying symptom of water aversion in infected individuals, has long been one of the most feared diseases known to humankind. Before the advent of the rabies vaccine, a bite or even mere exposure to an infected animal’s saliva was often a death...

Every year, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updates the recommended immunization schedule, and this year is no different. Think of it as a yearly tune-up for your car—except it’s for public health. You don’t have to memorize it (I promise there won’t be a pop quiz), but staying...

Editor Note: This post is unusual for History of Vaccines because it doesn’t talk about a vaccine-preventable disease. However, in honor of President Jimmy Carter, we would like to take a moment and celebrate his contributions to humanity, especially on his initiatives to eradicate dracunculiasis (aka “Guinea Worm Disease”). May...