As the world marks 80 years since the creation of the United Nations, we reflect on the shared global mission to end poverty in all its forms. On 17 October, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty reminds us that health and prosperity are deeply connected, and that vaccines play a crucial role in breaking the cycle of poverty.
17 October 2025
The 2025 theme, “Ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families,” underscores the importance of protecting and empowering families as the foundation of healthy, resilient societies. Vaccines are central to this vision: they prevent the suffering, loss, and economic hardship that can devastate families and perpetuate cycles of inequality.
Vaccines do more than protect people from disease. They are among the most powerful and cost-effective tools for human development, saving lives, reducing inequality, and driving economic growth and more cohesive communities.
For families living in poverty, the impact of vaccines can be especially profound. Preventable diseases such as malaria, polio, and rotavirus, measles and neglected tropical diseases not only cause illness but also undermine household stability by draining limited resources and hindering children’s education. By reducing these burdens, vaccines promote health equity and economic resilience, enabling families to plan, work, and care for one another with dignity and security.
Healthy parents enable healthy children to grow, learn, and reach their full potential, breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty by empowering entire families to work towards a stronger foundation for the future.
Beyond individual protection, vaccines act as a powerful equaliser. They offer the greatest benefits to those most in need, narrowing health gaps and promoting inclusive growth. Each euro invested in immunisation delivers a powerful return: improving wellbeing, supporting family livelihoods, and strengthening national economies.
However, progress is not guaranteed; vaccine inequity perpetuates inequalities between and within countries. Far too many people, particularly infants, still lack access to basic immunisation services, leaving them exposed to preventable suffering. To truly leave no one behind, we must ensure vaccines reach everyone and everywhere, from the most remote rural areas to underserved urban communities. Continued innovation is also vital, particularly in developing vaccines for neglected tropical diseases and other infections that keep millions in poverty.
The European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) is a leading non-profit product development partnership advancing vaccine research and development for diseases of poverty. At the heart of EVI’s vision - “A world where vaccines create health and equity for all people” - lies a commitment to supporting the eradication of poverty through innovation and collaboration. EVI drives progress in vaccine research, clinical development, and novel technologies. Through its work on vaccines targeting diseases of poverty, developing solutions that prioritise protecting disproportionately affected women and children, and strengthening scientific capacity in low- and middle-income countries, EVI contributes to building a healthier, fairer world where families can flourish.
On this International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we recognise that the fight against poverty and the fight for health are deeply interconnected. Vaccines are not only a public health triumph; they are a catalyst for social justice, economic stability, and familial wellbeing.
As we look to the future, investment in vaccines translates to investment in human potential, family resilience, and a world where no one is left behind. Eradicating poverty begins with protecting health, and vaccines remain one of the most powerful tools to make that vision a reality.
References and resources:
UNDP SDG Integration (2022). Vaccination against COVID-19 will define countries’ socioeconomic recovery
Bajaj et al. The Lancet (2022). Vaccine apartheid: global cooperation and equity.
Rodrigues et al. Frontiers in Microbiology (2020). Impact of Vaccines; Health, Economic and Social Perspectives.
UNDP (2021) Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity
UN (2025). International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 17 October
European Vaccine Initiative (EVI). Children’s Healthcare campaign (2025). Fighting malaria before birth: clinical trials to protect mothers and babies
GAVI (2018) Study: vaccines prevent not just disease, but also poverty
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This article is reprinted with permission from the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI), for educational and communication purposes only.
Original link: https://www.euvaccine.eu/post/from-protection-to-prosperity-the-power-of-vaccines-to-end-poverty .
Copyright belongs to the original author.
CN
