Through vaccination, we’ve eliminated diseases like smallpox and greatly reduced the spread of diseases that once greatly impacted our nation’s health, like polio and measles. There are currently vaccines for 17 dangerous diseases that are recommended at various points across a person’s lifespan.
Vaccines are important for everyone. When one person in a community is vaccinated it not only keeps them healthy but also helps protect their family and their community by lowering the chances of spreading deadly but preventable diseases. In fact, the CDC estimates that vaccination of children born between 1994 and 2018 will:
Prevent 419 million illnesses and 26.8 million hospitalizations
Avoid 936,000 deaths
Save nearly $1.9 trillion in total societal costs
Adults
Vaccines are just as important for adults as they are for children. Vaccines help adults stay healthy, which means fewer doctor’s appointments, fewer medical expenses, less missed time from work, and more time doing the things you love. Getting vaccinated also helps adults protect their loved ones by preventing the spread of a severe illness to a loved one, especially to babies and the elderly.
