By 1913, Behring had created Antitoxin-Toxin (antibody-antigen) complexes to produce the diphtheria AT vaccine. In the 1920s, Gaston Ramon developed a cheaper version by using formaldehyde-inactivated toxins. As the use of these vaccines spread across the world, the number of diphtheria cases was greatly reduced. In the United States alone, the number of cases fell from 100,000 to 200,000 per year in the 1920s to 19,000 in 1945 and 14 in the period 1996–2018.
About 95% of people vaccinated develop immunity, and vaccination against diphtheria has resulted in a more than 90% decrease in number of cases globally between 1980 and 2000. About 86% of the world population was vaccinated as of 2016.
The World Health Organization has recommended vaccination against diphtheria since 1974. The first dose is recommended at six weeks of age with two additional doses four weeks apart, after receiving these three doses about 95% of people are immune. Three further doses are recommended during childhood. Booster doses every ten years are no longer recommended if this vaccination scheme of 3 doses + 3 booster doses is followed. Injection of 3 doses + 1 booster dose, provides immunity for 25 years after the last dose. If only three initial doses are given, booster doses are needed to ensure continuing protection.
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"Diphtheria vaccine: WHO position paper – August 2017" (PDF). Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (31): 417–435. August 2017. hdl:10665/258681. PMID 28776357. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/258681/1/WER9231.pdf?ua=1
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"Diphtheria vaccine: WHO position paper – August 2017" (PDF). Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (31): 417–435. August 2017. hdl:10665/258681. PMID 28776357. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/258681/1/WER9231.pdf?ua=1
"Diphtheria vaccine: WHO position paper – August 2017" (PDF). Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (31): 417–435. August 2017. hdl:10665/258681. PMID 28776357. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/258681/1/WER9231.pdf?ua=1
"Diphtheria vaccine: WHO position paper – August 2017" (PDF). Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (31): 417–435. August 2017. hdl:10665/258681. PMID 28776357. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/258681/1/WER9231.pdf?ua=1
"Diphtheria vaccine: WHO position paper – August 2017" (PDF). Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (31): 417–435. August 2017. hdl:10665/258681. PMID 28776357. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/258681/1/WER9231.pdf?ua=1
"Diphtheria vaccine: WHO position paper – August 2017" (PDF). Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (31): 417–435. August 2017. hdl:10665/258681. PMID 28776357. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/258681/1/WER9231.pdf?ua=1
"Diphtheria vaccine: WHO position paper – August 2017" (PDF). Relevé Épidémiologique Hebdomadaire. 92 (31): 417–435. August 2017. hdl:10665/258681. PMID 28776357. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/258681/1/WER9231.pdf?ua=1