I remember going to a chickenpox party when I was a child. It used to be that when a child in the neighborhood came down with chickenpox, everyone gathered in hopes of exposing their children to build immunity. These parties are no longer needed because children today receive the chickenpox vaccine and a case of the chickenpox is, or at least was, a thing of the past.
The life expectancy in the United States increased substantially in the 20th century largely due to improvements in the survival rate of children. These improvements are directly related to the diseases that are prevented due to high vaccination rates.
Vaccines are the most effective preventative option available against many diseases. The United States currently targets 17 vaccine-preventable diseases across a person’s lifespan. These include:
1. Varicella (Chickenpox)
2. Tetanus (Lockjaw)
3. Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
4. Poliomyelitis (polio)
5. Rubeola (Measles)
6. Mumps
7. Rubella (German Measles)
8. Diptheria
9. Meningitis
10. Pneumonia
11. Haemophilus Influenza A
12. Haemophilus Influenza B
13. Hepatitis A
14. Hepatitis B
15. Shingles
16. Rotavirus
17. Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that vaccination prevents 2.5 million deaths each year. In 2012, the WHO estimated that there were four diseases responsible for 98 percent of deaths that could have been prevented if the person had been probably vaccinated. The four diseases were: measles, Haemophilus influenza B, pertussis and neonatal tetanus.
Although there has been enormous progress in eradicating many of the vaccine-preventable diseases, there is still cause for concern. Communities with pockets of unvaccinated and/or under-vaccinated populations are at an increased risk for an outbreak. Because of fears of side effects, some parents are now opting out of vaccinating their children. Furthermore, newborns and toddlers are at the highest risk because they are either not old enough to be vaccinated or have not completed the full sequence of recommended vaccinations.
The recent measles outbreak in the Unites States is a prime example of such a community. One infected person at Disneyland infected more than three dozen people. These thirty-six people exposed countless others. As a result more than 145 measles cases have been confirmed in fourteen states. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that the recent measles outbreak will be the largest outbreak in the United States since the measles were declared eliminated in 2000.
Perhaps a bigger concern is the recent resurgence of pertussis, or whooping cough. The pertussis vaccine was introduced in the 1940s. During this time there were over 100,000 cases reported per year. As a result of the vaccine, the number of cases dramatically declined and in 1975, the country only reported 1,010 cases. The CDC as of December 31, 2014, stated there were 28,660 cases of pertussis reported during 2014. This is an 18 percent increase compared to the number of cases reported in 2013. Some states in 2014 experienced widespread outbreaks. California reported a whooping cough epidemic in June 2014 with more than 800 new cases in two weeks along with two infant deaths.
Most of these outbreaks are contributed to a failure to vaccinate completely, failure to vaccinate in a timely manner, or a failure to fully vaccinated with scheduled doses.
Infectious and preventable diseases are still a major concern due to the illness, disability and death that can occur with an outbreak. Many of these vaccine-preventable diseases have nearly been eradicated over the years. Unfortunately, this does not mean they have disappeared. As recent history has shown us, these diseases are only one vacation, plane ride or visitor away.
