Advocates

Advocate links

  • State and Local Government Resources
  • Select a State to view resource locations.


  • 317 Coalition
  • Life-saving, cost-effective immunizations are significantly underfunded by Congress. ECBT has teamed with several partner organizations to create the 317 coalition to achieve increased federal funding for vaccines and vaccine programs. Visit the 317 coalition’s website to take action on this critical issue.


  • Regional and National Resources


  • Cost of vaccines
  • The cost of fully vaccinating each child has risen dramatically with the advent of new, life-saving vaccines.
  • Appropriations Chart
  • Federal appropriation for the immunizations has not kept pace with the real costs of immunizing children.
  • Congress not providing adequate funds to immunize
  • 2005 estimate includes the cost to vaccinate one adolescent with one dose of Meningococcal and one dose of Td.

    2004 and 2005 reflect new budget lines 1) Business Services Support and 2) Public Health Improvement & Leadership — which were created to the show CDC indirect cost assessments to programs

    Td was not included in the cost of the full series 1999-2004. States negotiated their own contracts because there was no federal contract for this vaccine.

    TdaP is expected to be licensed and recommended in FY2006; CDC estimates the new vaccine may be used 50% of the time in adolescents and the current Td vaccine used the remaining 50% of the time.



“There are actual, achievable measures that could be taken to immediately improve preschooler immunization rates. It is time for us to redouble our efforts to protect the 20 percent of preschoolers who are routinely not being immunized on time” Rosalynn Carter

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.

“Preschoolers are particularly vulnerable to a host of childhood illnesses. No child in America should have to get sick from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
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

  • Routine1 childhood immunization
    • 33,000 deaths prevented 2
    • $43 billion saved 2,3

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