- The ARC - California Edition -

Immunization Protects

Immunization is one of the most effective ways of protecting against disease. The level of vaccine-preventable disease has been reduced by more than 99 percent since the introduction of vaccines. Reported cases of vaccine-preventable diseases are at, or near, all-time levels.

Before widespread immunization in the US, infectious diseases killed or caused severe damage to thousands of children each year. In the 1920’s, about 125,000 cases and 10,000 deaths were caused by diphtheria each year. Since 1980, fewer than five cases a year are being reported.

The measles virus is also spread very easily, and before vaccine, more than 500,000 measles cases used to be reported annually.

This disease sometimes resulted in mental retardation, and also can cause pneumonia, seizures, or death. It is a serious disease since out of every 1,000 children who get measles, 1 or 2 will die, and about the same rate result in brain damage.

The measles epidemic of 1989-91 affected more than 55,000 people of whom 11,000 were hospitalized and about 120 died. A major cause of the measles epidemic was the failure to vaccinate children on time at 12 to 15 months of age.

There is one "childhood" disease that also causes severe damage to babies, but in a different manner. German measles, also known as rubella, is usually a mild sickness and only lasts about 3 days. But if a pregnant woman gets rubella, she can lose her unborn baby, or the baby can be born blind, deaf, with heart defects, or with mental retardation.

The haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) bacteria often results in meningitis - an infection of the membranes which surrounds the child’s brain and spinal cord. Before a vaccine for this childhood disease was developed, Hib disease caused more than 10,000 cases of meningitis a year, mostly among children under the age of 5. Meningitis kills about 5% of those afflicted and severely damages the brain of one-third of the survivors. In 1995, only 250 of cases Hib are known to have occurred.

Childhood illnesses that could be prevented by immunization are still with us. Approximately 3.5 million cases of chicken pox are estimated to occur each year.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) occur each year.

Children need 80% of their vaccinations in the first 2 years of life. Make sure it happens to the children you know.

(Adapted from The 1997 National Infant Immunization Program materials)

Don’t Wait - Vaccinate

Two Years Old! Do you have the shots you need?

Babies need shots five times by age 2 to protect them against one or more dangerous diseases, like measles or diphtheria.

Make sure your babies get the shots they need by age 2.

Call the free National Immunization Information Hotline to locate the nearest place to get life-protecting shots. 1-800-232-2522 (English) or 1-800-232-0233 (Spanish)

One of four of America’s children is not fully protected against childhood diseases.