Refusing Protection

The Decline of Childhood Vaccination in the U.S.
Thanks in part to a debunked study linking vaccines and autism, many parents are refusing to have their children vaccinated against common disease. As the number of children inoculated against serious diseases falls, the risk to public health increases.

Getting Their Shots?

Nearly 1 in 4
Children 19-35 who have not received all recommended vaccinations
Percentage of U.S. children 19-35 months receiving vaccines
Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis 85%
Polio 94%
Measles (MMR) 92%
Haemophilus influenza type B 80%
Hepatitis B 91%
Chickenpox 91%
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 84%
Most distressingly, some of the diseases most dangerous to young children are seeing vaccination rates fall.
2-year-olds vaccinated by year
Diseases 2008 2009
Measles, mumps, rubella 93.5% 90.6%
Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough 87.2% 85.4%
Chickenpox 92% 90.6%
Vaccination rates also vary widely depending on the state of residence.
MMR vaccine rates by state (2012)
Connecticut 94.2
Virginia 93.7
Hawaii 93.5
New Jersey 93.4
Rhode Island 93.4
DC 92.8
New Hampshire 92.5
Alabama 92.2
Maryland 92.1
Missouri 91.9
Georgia 91.6
Mississippi 91.6
Idaho 91.5
Massachusetts 91.1
Colorado 91
Illinois 90.8
South Carolina 90.6
California 90.5
South Dakota 90.4
Florida 90.1
Arkansas 89.9
Delaware 89.9
Tennessee 89.8
Vermont 89.8
North Dakota 89.7
Iowa 89.3
Maine 89.1
Montana 89.1
Wyoming 89.1
Texas 89
Louisiana 88.4
Minnesota 88.4
Michigan 88.2
Indiana 88.1
Arizona 87.8
Nevada 87.8
New York 87.7
Nebraska 87.5
Wisconsin 87.4
North Carolina 87.2
New Mexico 86.8
Ohio 86.8
Kentucky 86.5
Oklahoma 86.5
Pennsylvania 86.4
Kansas 86.3
Utah 85.8
Oregon 84.4
Alaska 83.5
West Virginia 82.3
Washington 82.1

Required for a Reason

It’s been a few generations since diseases like polio affected thousands of children every year. Maybe we’ve forgotten the immensely positive effect vaccination programs had on public health.
Reported cases of select vaccine-preventable diseases
Disease 1950 2011
Diphtheria 5,796 0
Tetanus 486 9
Pertussis (whooping cough) 120,718 15,216
Polio (paralytic) 33,300 0
Measles 319,124 212
The risk is serious: Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has seen something of a resurgence in recent years after infection rates plummeted in the 1970s.
Whooping cough cases by year
1950 120,718
1951 68,687
1952 45,030
1953 37,129
1954 60,886
1955 62,786
1956 31,732
1957 28,295
1958 32,148
1959 40,005
1960 14,809
1960 11,468
1962 17,749
1963 17,135
1964 13,005
1965 6,799
1966 7,717
1967 9,718
1968 4,810
1969 3,285
1970 4,249
1971 3036
1972 3,287
1973 1,759
1974 2,402
1975 1,738
1976 1,010
1977 2,177
1978 2,063
1979 1,623
1980 1,730
1981 1,248
1982 1,895
1983 2,463
1984 2,276
1985 3,589
1986 4,195
1987 2,823
1988 3,450
1989 4,157
1990 4,570
1991 2,719
1992 4,083
1993 6,586
1994 4,617
1995 5,137
1996 7,796
1997 6,564
1998 6,279
1999 7,288
2000 7,867
2001 7,580
2002 9,771
2003 11,647
2004 25,827
2005 25,616
2006 15,632
2007 10,454
2008 13,278
2009 16,858
2010 27,550
2011 15,216
3 million
Annual deaths prevented by vaccinations

Making the Case

The 3 million deaths prevented every year thanks to vaccines should be enough to convince you, but if not, consider:

• Vaccines prevent 10.5 million cases of infectious diseases each year.
• Most vaccines given to children are 90%-99% effective against preventing the disease.
• The benefits far outweigh the risks; a few people getting side effects is worth eradicating an infectious disease.
• “Herd immunity” can only be achieved when 75%-94% of a population are immunized. Those electing not to be hurt the entire group.
• The popular belief that vaccinations cause autism in children is false and not backed by scientific research.

SOURCES:
www.cdc.gov
www.childstats.gov
www.npr.org
www.immunize.org
www.who.int
www.vaccines.procon.org