The Statistics Behind Vaccines

If you're like most, you know vaccines are important in keeping our children healthy and disease free, but you may not know exactly what diseases your children are being protected from. So what are the actual statistics on how various vaccines have prevented illness and death? Below are the disease and death rates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the introduction of various vaccines.


Vaccine: DTaP
Diptheria—In 1920 there were 147,991 reported cases of diptheria causing 13,170 deaths. In 2002, one case was reported in the United States.
Tetanus—Tetanus continues to kill 300,000 newborns and 30,000 birth mothers a year in areas of the world where the immunization is not available.
Pertussis (Whooping Cough)—Before the immunization, there were around 260,000 cases reported each year leading to around 9,000 deaths. Worldwide there were 9,771 cases reported in 2002.

Vaccine: HIb
Haemophilus Influenza type b (bacterial meningitis)—Before the vaccine, HIb killed 600 children a year and infected over 20,000. In 2005 only 34 cases were reported.

Vaccine: PCV
Pneumococcal—Since the vaccine was introduced, disease rates in children have declined 70 to 80 percent.

Vaccine: IPV
Polio—Before the vaccine 13,000 to 20,000 new cases were reported each year. In 2000 no cases were reported.

Vaccine: MMR
Measles—Measles continues to be one of the most infectious diseases in the world, and researchers estimate that if the vaccine were stopped, there could be some 2.7 million deaths worldwide from the disease.
Mumps—Before the vaccine there were an estimated 212,000 cases of mumps annually. In 2002 there were 270 cases reported.
Rubella—Before the vaccine it is estimated that rubella led to 20,000 infants born with severe disability, 2,100 neonate deaths, and 11,250 miscarriages.

Vaccine: Varicella
Varicella (Chickenpox)—Before the vaccine there were around 4 million cases annually, leading to 11,000 children hospitalized and 100 deaths each year. In 2002 there were 9 reported deaths from chickenpox.

Vaccine: HepB
Hepatititis B—In 1982, 22,177 new cases of the disease were reported. In 2002 only 7,996 cases were reported.

Vaccine: Smallpox
Smallpox—The vaccine for smallpox began to be widely used in 1900. At that time there were about 1,000 deaths caused by the disease each year. By 1977 smallpox had been eradicated.