| Disease |
What
it Does |
Why
Immunize |
| Polio |
Causes
acute paralysis that can lead to permanent physical disability and
even death. |
Before
Polio vaccination was available, 13,000 to 20,000 cases were reported
each year in the U.S. None were reported in 2000. |
| Measles |
Rash
that can cause complications such as pneumonia, diarrhea or ear
infections in 9% of those infected. Some develop encephalitis, which
results in brain damage. |
Measles
is one of the most infectious diseases in the world, and is frequently
imported into the U.S. If vaccinations were stopped, 2.7 million
measles deaths worldwide could be expected. |
Haemophilus
Influenzae
Type b (Hib) Meningitis |
Most
common cause of bacterial meningitis in the U.S. before the vaccine.
Led to deafness, seizures or mental retardation in those who survived
the disease. |
Before
the vaccination, Hib meningitis killed 600 children a year, and
infected 20,000. If we were to stop immunizing, we would likely
return to the pre-vaccine numbers of infections and deaths. |
Pertussis
(Whooping Cough) |
Can
lead to pneumonia, seizures, brain disease and death in infants.
Results in prolonged coughing that lasts for many weeks, causing
dehydration and vomiting. |
Before
immunization, up to 260,000 cases were reported in the U.S. each
year, with up to 9,000 deaths. Pertussis still occurs worldwide. |
Rubella
(German Measles) |
Usually
mild in children and adults, up to 90% of infants born to infected
mothers will develop congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), resulting
in heart defects, cataracts, mental retardation and deafness. |
Before
the 1965 vaccination was used routinely in the U.S., rubella resulted
in an estimated 20,000 infants born with CRS, 2,100 neonatal deaths
and 11,250 miscarriages in a two-year time span. |
Varicella
(Chickenpox) |
Always
present in the community and highly contagious. Can be severe in
some, leading to complications such as dehydration, pneumonia, and
shingles. Children miss a week or more of school on average when
infected with chickenpox. |
Chickenpox
was responsible for an estimated 4 million cases, 11,000 hospitalizations
and 100 deaths each year before the licensing of the chickenpox
vaccine in 1995. |
| Hepatitis
B |
Infants
and children who become infected with Hepatitis B are at the highest
risk of developing life-long infection, which often leads to death
from liver disease and liver cancer. |
Approximately
25% of children who become infected with life-long hepatitis are
expected to die of a related disease as adults. In addition to the
12,000 infants infected by their mother during birth, approximately
33,000 children under the age of 10 were infected before the vaccination. |
| Diphtheria |
A
serious disease caused by poison produced from the bacteria. It
frequently causes heart and nerve problems. |
The
death rate before vaccinations was up to 20% in the young and elderly.
Although Diphtheria is primarily in other countries, international
travels make it easy to contract. In 1921, a diphtheria outbreak
caused 12,230 deaths in the U.S. Only one case was reported in 1998,
due to vaccinations. |
Tetanus
(Lock Jaw) |
A
severe, often fatal disease. Leads to stiffness and spasms of the
muscles. Can cause the throat to close, and spasms can cause fractures. |
Approximately
30% of reported cases of tetanus end in death. Tetanus kills 300,000
newborns and 30,000 birth mothers worldwide, from lack of immunization.
Tetanus is not contagious, and can only be prevented by immunization.
People of all ages can be infected. |
| Mumps |
Once
a major cause of deafness in children, occurring in approximately
1 of every 20,000 cases reported. Can cause swelling of the brain,
nerves and spinal cord that can lead to paralysis, seizures and
fluid in the brain. |
Before
the vaccination was developed in 1967, an estimated 212,000 cases
occurred in the U.S. annually. In 1986 and 1987, there was a resurgence
of mumps with 12,848 cases reported. Since 1989, the incidence has
declined, with a total of 323 cases last year. |