Why Immunize?
| 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. |