Why are vaccines important?
Vaccines are important because they protect our bodies from preventable diseases. When a high enough percentage of people in our community are vaccinated, it makes it hard for a contagious person to cause widespread disease. But when vaccination rates are too low, preventable diseases spread among the unvaccinated, people with weakened immune systems, and people who can't be vaccinated because of their age or rare health conditions.
A clear way to visualize why vaccines are important is to look at the decline in cases of diseases we vaccinate against:
Comparison of 20th Century Annual Morbidity and Current Morbidity: Vaccine-Preventable Diseases | |||
Disease | 20th Century Annual Morbidity† | 2023 Reported Cases†† | Percentage Decrease |
Smallpox | 29,005 | 0 | 100% |
Diphtheria | 21,053 | 2 | >99% |
Measles | 530,217 | 47 | >99% |
Mumps | 162,344 | 429 | >99% |
Pertussis (Whooping Cough) | 200,752 | 5,611 | 97% |
Polio (paralytic) | 16,316 | 0 | 100% |
Rubella | 47,745 | 3 | >99% |
Congenital Rubella Syndrome | 152 | 0 | 100% |
Tetanus | 580 | 15 | 97% |
Haemophilus influenzae | 20,000 | 27* | >99% |
| † JAMA. 2007;298(18):2155-2163 † † CDC. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, Weekly Tables of Infectious Disease Data. Atlanta, GA. CDC Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance. Available at: Weekly statistics from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). (cdc.gov). Data submitted through Dec 31, 2023; accessed on Jan 24, 2024; diphtheria and polio case counts reported by CDC Program. * Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) < 5 years of age. An additional 12 cases of Hib are estimated to have occurred among the 257 notifications of Haemophilus influenzae (< 5 years of age) with unknown serotype. Chart Source: National Center for Immunization & Respiratory Diseases, 02/14/2024 | |||
While vaccines may not always offer 100% protection against illnesses, their effectiveness is so high that they prevent most people from getting very ill and spreading the disease. When fewer people in our community get sick, we have fewer preventable deaths!
Do you have vaccination questions?
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