Twenty percent of preschool children, aged 19-35 monthsi, do not receive all routine vaccinations to protect against a range of common childhood diseases. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced a significant increase in vaccination rates from 2002 to 2003, each year an estimated 2.1 million preschool children are still not fully immunized.ii Leaving a single child unprotected is not acceptable in this affluent nation.
Rosalynn Carter
Preschoolers are particularly vulnerable to a host of childhood diseases and therefore, are most in need of comprehensive, preventive vaccinations. However, this is the age group with the lowest immunization rates. The gap in rates is particularly concentrated in some poor and minority communities.
From a variety of perspectives, including medical and financial, the public benefits when all children are vaccinated. High vaccination rates are important safeguards against the spread of epidemics. Numerous cost-benefit analyses show that vaccination against the most common childhood diseases delivers large returns on investment -- saving $18.40 in medical costs and indirect costs, such as disability, for every $1 spent on immunization.iii
Ensuring that all children have access to the full series of immunizations in a timely manner is achievable. Closing the vaccination gap should be high on our list of national health priorities.
Childhood Vaccines Save Lives and Money
| Disease | Cases Prevented |
Deaths Prevented |
|---|---|---|
| Diptheria | 247,212 |
24,721 |
| Tetanus | 146 |
22 |
| Pertussis | 2,614,874 |
1,008 |
| Polio | 60,974 |
723 |
| Measles | 3,433,036 |
2,794 |
| Mumps | 2,095,917 |
11 |
| Rubells | 1,784,030 |
14 |
| CRS | 602 |
66 |
| Hib | 17,469 |
661 |
| Hepatitis B | 207,353 |
3,024 |
| Varicella | 3,788,807 |
57 |
| Total | 13,622,004 |
33,101 |
| For every $1 spent 1: | |
|---|---|
| DTaP saves | $27.00 |
| MMR saves | $26.00 |
| H. Influenza type b saves | $5.40 |
| Perinatal Hep B saves | $14.70 |
| Varicella saves | $5.40 |
| Inactivated Polio (IPV) saves | $5.45 |
