The Power of Vaccines: 4 Ways PIH Protects Communities Worldwide

Learn how PIH uses vaccines to protect communities, advance global health.

Posted on Feb 3, 2025

Eric Zavala smiles after shot
Eric Zavala smiles after receiving a shot during a community wellness event organized by UNETE, a community-based organization and partner of PIH-US, in North Carolina on March 21, 2023. Photo by Veasey Conway for PIH.

Since the invention of the world’s first successful vaccine—against smallpox—in England over two centuries ago, the public health tool has prevented hundreds of millions of deaths—from HPV and polio to measles and COVID-19. As vaccine misinformation spreads and threatens public health, we must remember the facts: vaccines are rigorously researched and tested, they’re safe and effective, and they protect against more than 20 diseases.
 
Simply put, vaccines save lives.
 
At Partners In Health (PIH), immunization is one of the many ways we bring the benefits of modern medicine to those most in need.
 
Here are 4 ways vaccines save lives across countries where PIH works:

1. Vaccines protect children.

More than 13,000 children worldwide die every day from preventable or treatable conditions—many of which can be addressed with vaccines. At PIH, we work together with local governments and health clinics to protect children in vulnerable communities who often face an increased risk of infectious disease.  

In 2023, PIH supported the administration of 664,645 childhood vaccinations, such as hepatitis B and measles vaccines, across seven countries: Haiti, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Peru, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone.

Johnson Guerrier (left) and his 2-year-old daughter, Sarah Guerrier, receive cholera vaccines in Mirebalais, Haiti. The vaccines were part of a PIH-supported campaign, in partnership with Haiti's Ministry of Health, in response to a rise in cholera cases in December 2022. Photo by Thierry Prinston / PIH

 

2. Vaccines curb disease outbreaks after natural disasters.

Hurricanes, floods, and mudslides can have severe health impacts on communities. Such disasters can damage water sanitation infrastructure and contaminate water, leading to outbreaks of cholera, a bacterial disease. Fortunately, cholera is preventable and treatable.

In Haiti, PIH conducted a cholera vaccination campaign after the 2010 earthquake that protected 50,000 people against the deadly disease. The campaign’s success motivated the World Health Organization (WHO) to establish a global stockpile of oral cholera vaccines and to change protocols that expanded patient access.

Later, in 2017, when severe flooding and mudslides threatened a cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone, this global stockpile became a lifesaving resource. PIH staff led a vaccination campaign in partnership with Sierra Leones's Ministry of Health, providing the necessary two doses of the cholera vaccine to 500,000 people.

In Haiti, a patient receives treatment for cholera, including replacement for lost fluids, in 2010. Cholera had never been reported in Haiti or on the island of Hispaniola until the outbreak that year. The disease struck at a particularly vulnerable time, following on the heels of the January 2010 earthquake that displaced millions and further weakened the nation's insufficient water and sanitation infrastructure. Photo by David Darg / PIH

 

3. Vaccines strengthen global health systems.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, PIH advocated for an increased global supply of vaccines and their equitable distribution to low- and middle-income countries, such as Haiti, Lesotho, and Malawi.

In the United States, PIH accompanied local health departments and community partners to establish vaccine rollout plans centered on equity and access; and created a vaccine toolkit with practical resources for achieving vaccine equity.

Caroline Murtagh (right), a project manager with PIH's U.S. Public Health Accompaniment Unit (USPHAU), speaks with Elena Martinez about the COVID-19 vaccine and offers masks, hand sanitizer and other helpful medical information in Immokalee, Florida on May 20, 2021. PIH launched USPHAU in May 2020 and it later became a technical advising site called PIH-US in October 2021.  Photo by Scott McIntyre for PIH

 

4. Vaccines prevent serious illness and death.

Recently, the first-ever vaccine for malaria, a mosquito-borne infectious disease, was approved by the WHO. In 2024, Sierra Leone became the third country to roll out the vaccine nationwide at PIH-supported Wellbody Clinic and other health facilities. At Wellbody Clinic, all babies who are at least six months old can receive a malaria vaccine during their regular appointments. This marks a significant step towards saving countless lives and reducing the burden of malaria on families, communities, and the health care system. In 2023, there were 597,000 malaria deaths around the world, a majority of which were among children under 5 in Africa.

Elizabeth John holds her 6-month-old son Edward and his routine vaccination card at PIH-supported Wellbody Clinic in Kono District, Sierra Leone. Edward was among the first group of patients to receive a malaria vaccine at Wellbody Clinic in May 2024. Photo by Chiara Herold / PIH

If we don’t vaccinate the most poor and vulnerable communities, everyone will continue to be at risk. At PIH, we’re committed to enhancing vaccine access and strive to make health care a human right for all people, starting with those who need it most.

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