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Table 2 Vaccinations and military contributions[85–89]

From: Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases: challenges and opportunities for militaries

Vaccine

Year initiated

Military role

Smallpox

1777

Used by the Continental Army in 1777; Used by Prussian Army during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870

Yellow fever

1900

Demonstration of etiological agent and vector

Typhoid fever

1909

British Army used early forms during the Anglo-Boer War; US Military developed killed typhoid vaccine for US Army and Navy personnel

Tetanus

1940

Used by the US Army and Navy from 1940; Used by the Luftwaffe in World War II

Cholera

1940, 1980s

Injectable whole cell vaccines given to alert US Military Units until 1973

Hepatitis A

1945, 1985

US Military developed immunoglobulins and used in Korea and Vietnam in the 1960s; US Military supported safety, immunogenicity and efficacy studies

Pneumococcus

1945

US Military tested first multivalent polysaccharide vaccine

Diphtheria

1950s

US Military sponsored reduced dose formulation

Anthrax

1950s

Early anthrax vaccines were developed by Dr George Wright of the U.S. Chemical Corps and his colleagues, and were licensed in 1970.

Adenovirus

1952-1969

US Military developed killed bivalent and oral attenuated vaccine

Influenza

1957

US Military developed first iterations of influenza vaccines and conducted trials among US service members

Japanese Encephalitis

1950s, 1980s

US Military performed vaccination efforts in World War II and later supported inactivated vaccine studies

Plague

1960s

US personnel in Vietnam and Southern Vietnam soldiers vaccinated in the 1960s

Meningococcus

1968

US Military developed polysaccharide vaccine and supported clinical trials; Adopted by the Israeli Army in 1994

Rubella

1972

US Military developed technique for isolating virus used to develop the vaccine

Measles

1980

US Military provided funding for development of an attenuated vaccine