evidence: A vaccine has for the first time in history eradicated a human disease, smallpox. Efforts to eradicate polio are in the final stages, with only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, still experiencing wild transmission of the polio virus. All countries with the exception of 13 have eliminated neonatal and maternal tetanus. Without vaccination, there would be far more infections that require antibiotic therapy, exacerbating the major problem of drug-resistant infections.