Immunization is one of the greatest medical success stories in human history - and has saved millions of lives in the 20th century. Many serious childhood diseases are preventable by using vaccines routinely recommended for children. Since the introduction of these vaccines, rates of diseases such as polio, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and meningitis (caused by haemophilus influenzae type b) have declined by 95-100%. Prior to immunization, hundreds of thousands of children were infected, and thousands died in the U.S. each year from these diseases. In under-immunized populations of the world, 600,000 children die from pertussis and almost one million die from measles each year. Without immunizations, the diseases from which we are now protected will return to sicken and even kill many infants and children. Many of the children who survive could suffer from chronic health problems or disabilities for the rest of their lives.

Immunizations prevent the spread of disease:

Diseases are spread through communities by infecting unimmunized people, as well as the small percentage of people for whom immunizations do not work. Individuals who are unimmunized increase the risk that they and others in their community will get the diseases which vaccines can prevent. For some highly contagious diseases, such as measles, even a small number of unimmunized or under-immunized people can lead to an outbreak of disease.

The biggest cause of the 1989-1991 measles epidemic in the U.S. was failure to vaccinate preschool children on time. This measles epidemic was responsible for 55,000 cases and more than 120 deaths. Nearly half of those deaths were in children under age five, most of whom had not been immunized.

Eleven cases of measles in 1995 in Whatcom County, WA, occurred when an unimmunized college student returned from an out-of-state visit.

Twelve cases of measles occurred in King County in 2001, representing the largest outbreak of the disease in Washington State in over a decade.

In 1998, all of the cases of measles in the U.S. came from other countries. Dangerous infectious diseases largely under control in the U.S. are only a plane ride away, so we must all remain protected by being immunized.

Immunizations are safe:

Immunizations are extremely safe, and they're getting safer and more effective all the time as a result of medical research and ongoing review by doctors, researchers, and public health officials. Immunizations are given to keep healthy people well and are held to the highest safety standards. However, that doesn't mean that vaccines are risk-free.

All vaccines may have possible side effects. Most of these effects are quite mild, such as pain or soreness where the shot is given. Serious side effects,such as an allergic reaction known as "anaphylaxis" occurs very rarely (about one time in 500,000 doses). An anaphylactic reaction includes hives, difficulty breathing, and low blood pressure. The reaction can be treated without lasting damage.

According to Paul Offit, MD, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "...choosing to avoid vaccines is simply a choice to take a different risk. Unvaccinated children are at risk for many diseases including meningitis caused by Hib, bloodstream infections caused by pneumococcus, pneumonia caused by measles, deafness caused by mumps, and liver cancer caused by hepatitis B virus. When you compare the risk of vaccines and the risk of diseases, vaccines are the safer choice."

Immunizations are strong protection:

Immunization is the single most important way parents can protect their children against serious diseases. There are no effective alternatives to immunization for protection against serious and sometimes deadly infectious diseases.

Despite the known benefits of breastfeeding, such as enhanced protection of the infant against some colds, ear infections, and diarrhea, breastfeeding does not prevent vaccine-preventable diseases. Unlike vaccines, breastfeeding does not stimulate the infant's own immune system to produce the antibodies needed to fight very specific diseases. Fortunately, vaccines do not interfere with the beneficial immunity gained from breastfeeding, just as breastfeeding does not hinder the effectiveness of immunization.

In addition, the use of vitamins or herbs does not provide specific protection against the many viruses and bacteria that cause vaccine-preventable diseases. Although these substances may have beneficial effects, they cannot replace the protection provided by vaccines. Immunizations work naturally by using the body's own immune system, making it stronger and teaching it to fight serious diseases.

Children who have not been immunized are at far greater risk of becoming infected with serious diseases. For example, a recent study showed that children who had not received the measles vaccine were 35 times more likely to get the disease.

And, did you know...

• Infants are more vulnerable to disease because their immune systems cannot easily fight off disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Moreover, the effects of disease are often more serious in infants than in older children.
• Immunizations prevent serious diseases that can cause severe illness, hospitalization, and sometimes death.
• Even if a disease is not currently present in a community, the bacteria and viruses that cause it have not gone away. Disease outbreaks can and do occur in communities that are not protected by immunization.
• With the increase in international travel and foreign adoption, serious vaccine-preventable diseases that are uncommon in the US are literally only a plane ride away.
• The number of recommended immunizations has increased because we are now able to safely protect children from more serious diseases than ever before.
• About 75% of children in Washington State are immunized by the age of two; but in some areas, the rate is as low as 57%.
• Vaccines paid for with public funds are provided at no cost at most clinics in many states. (You may be charged a small administrative fee.)