Vaccine-preventable diseases

One of greatest challenges facing childhood immunizations in the United States is the perception that vaccine-preventable diseases do not present a significant threat and there is no reason to immunize children. But, it is a fact that many children in our communities are not fully immunized and remain at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccine-preventable diseases also have a costly impact, resulting in doctor’s visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths. Sick children can also cause parents to lose time from work.

Vaccines can protect both the people who receive them and those with whom they come in contact. Vaccines have reduced or eliminated many infectious diseases that were once common in the United States and around the world, including polio and smallpox.