An estimated 51.2 million lives have been saved through vaccines in the African region over the past 50 years. For every infant life saved over that period, close to 60 years of life are lived, a new report by the World Health Organization finds. These achievements have been possible under the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), a WHO initiative launched in 1974 as a global endeavour to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines for every child. The region has also witnessed a sharp decline in measles deaths