Vaccines prevent disease in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with unvaccinated individuals. Vaccines are responsible for the control of many once-common infectious diseases including polio, measles, diphtheria, and many other dangerous diseases.

Vaccines are important for many reasons including:

• Vaccines protect individual children who are vaccinated against dangerous diseases
• Vaccines protect communities; they help to protect children who are not able to be vaccinated* or who do not respond to vaccines
• Vaccines slow down or stop disease outbreaks

*Some children cannot be vaccinated for certain diseases because they have medical conditions, are too young, or their body does not adequately respond to vaccines.

Why Immunize?
Link to a quick glance chart of all the diseases prevented by immunizations with links to in depth information for each illness.

Unprotected People Reports
Vaccine-preventable diseases still exist today. Link to case reports, personal testimonies, newspaper and journal articles about people who have been affected by vaccine-preventable diseases.

Additional information is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/importance.htm