Imagine if there was no concerted effort to eradicate smallpox after discovering the vaccine more than 200 years ago. Our world would be different today. Based on historical data of 50 million cases of smallpox reported annually in the early 1950s, the World Health Organization’s historical mortality rate of 30% for the common form of the disease, and given an infection rate of  2%, there would currently be approximately 48 million deaths and 160 million people infected annually. In addition, the persistent outbreaks would have placed significant pressure on healthcare systems, inflicted substantial economic hardships, and resulted in widespread anxiety and disturbance to social order. This hypothetical scenario underscores a critical truth: strategically allocating resources to scaling up effective health innovations can significantly alter the course of global health outcomes.

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https://speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2024/09/20/rethinking-health-innovation-funding-in-africa-for-maximum-impact/