Infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses have been a major cause of death for humans for thousands of years.  This exhibit showcases how the development of various vaccines and antibiotics were responsible for the significant prolongation of the life span of humans.  This improvement has come only in the recent past. The development of antibiotics for bacterial diseases saves approximately 200,000 American lives per year and adds 5-10 years to US life expectancy. 

Before immunizations for childhood infectious diseases were developed, millions of children worldwide would die every year from illnesses like measles, smallpox, mumps, diphtheria, and polio. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has estimated that immunizations save the lives of 4 million children worldwide each year.  Immunizations can prevent more than 50 million deaths from 2021 to 2030.  

The very first vaccine developed was for smallpox in 1796.  At that time, 30% of people contracting smallpox died.  The vaccine was widely used and so successful in preventing disease that smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980.  No cases have occurred since 1977. 

A recent World Health Organization, or WHO, study shows that immunization is the single greatest contribution of any health intervention in preventing early death in infants.   Over the past 50 years, global immunization efforts against common childhood infections have saved an estimated 154 million lives (101 million lives were those of infants). 

The other major development in the fight against infectious diseases was the discovery of antibiotics to treat infections like Tuberculosis (TB) a potentially serious infection caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has infected humans for thousands of years. Our exhibit highlights the use of sanatoriums in the early treatment of TB. The sanatoriums provided patients with the rest, good food, sunlight, exercise, and fresh air advised for treatment before the advent of antibiotics. The Sacramento area was served by a sanatorium located in nearby Weimar.  The Weimar Joint Sanatorium was established in 1919 to care for TB patients.  It transitioned to a general medical center in the 1950’s and closed in 1972. The exhibit also illustrates how the population was screened for TB, using mobile X-ray trucks that would go out into the community to screen people with a chest X ray.

The discovery of penicillin in the 1940’s was the major reason that led to the end of the rheumatic fever era in the United States.  Acute rheumatic fever in the 1920’s was the leading cause of death in children in the United States. Prior to the antibiotic era, the incidence of acute rheumatic fever was 28.5 cases per 100,000 children.   Because of the availability of effective antibiotics, the incidence now in the US is low, approximately 4-6 cases per 100,000 children.  Despite the lower incidence of rheumatic fever, it still killed more than 3,900 people in the US in 2021.    

We live in a world full of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Some of these organisms can cause illness and death in humans.  This situation has been present since humans have existed on earth.  Human ingenuity has led to the development of antibiotics and vaccines to help protect us from the harmful organisms.  It is important for us to continue to support the research that leads to new antibiotics and vaccines as new infectious agents can appear, and existing infectious agents can develop resistance to current treatment regimens