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The dramatic decline in mortality rates at all ages during the last 200 years in most human populations can be attributed to four broad causes: (1) increases in household income and associated improvements in nutrition, housing quality, and standards of living, (2) investments in public works (e.g., sanitation systems, garbage disposal, water quality, roads) and public health interventions (e.g., quarantines, mosquito eradication, vaccination), (3) changes in beliefs about disease causation and concomitant behavioral changes (e.g., hygiene, better treatment of illness), and (4) improvements in medical technology (e.g., pharmaceuticals, medical practices, vaccine development).
National Network for Immunization Information wrote:Vaccine Effectiveness
Do vaccines work?
Yes. Vaccination is one of the greatest achievements of medicine and has spared millions of people the effects of devastating diseases.
Before vaccines became widely used, infectious diseases killed thousands of children and adults each year in the United States:
* Before 1985, Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib) caused serious infections in 20,000 children each year, including meningitis (12,000 cases) and pneumonia (7,500 cases).[fn]Bisgard KM, Kao A, Leake J, et al. Haemophilus influenzae invasive disease in the United States, 1994-1995: Near disappearance of a vaccine-preventable childhood disease. Emerging Infectious Diseases 1998;4(2):229-237.[/fn] In 2002, there were 34 cases of Hib disease.
* In the 1964-1965 epidemic, there were 12.5 million cases of rubella (German measles).[fn]Atkinson W, Wolfe C, Humiston S, Nelson R, eds. Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. (The Pink Book) 6th ed. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2000.[/fn] Of the 20,000 infants born with congenital rubella syndrome, 11,600 were deaf, 3,580 were blind, and 1,800 were mentally retarded as a result of the infection.[fn value=”2”][/fn] There were 9 cases of rubella in 2004 and only four cases of congenital rubella between 2001 and 2004.
* Before 1963, more than 3 million cases of measles and 500 deaths from measles were reported each year.[fn value=”2”][/fn] More than 90% of children had measles by age 15.[fn value=”2”][/fn] In 2002, there were 44 cases of measles
* In 1952, polio paralyzed more than 21,000 people.[fn value=”2”][/fn] In 2002, there were no cases of polio in the United States.
* In the early 1940s, there was an average of 175,000 cases of pertussis (whooping cough) per year, resulting in the deaths of 8,000 children annually.[fn value=”2”][/fn] In 2002, 9,771 cases were reported.
* In the 1920s, there were 100,000 to 200,000 cases of diphtheria each year and 13,000 people died from the disease.[fn value=”2”][/fn] In 2002, there was only one case of diphtheria in the United States.
As a result of the high level of immunization in the United States these diseases have declined to near zero.
Because of better hygiene and sanitation, hadn’t diseases already begun to disappear before vaccines were introduced?
No, they had not begun to disappear. In the 20th century, infectious diseases began to be better controlled because of improvements in hygiene and sanitation (clean water and pest control). However, the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases only began to drop dramatically after the vaccines for those diseases were licensed and began to be used in large numbers of children.
* For example, there were about 500,000 reported cases and 500 deaths from measles each year before the measles vaccine was licensed in 1963.[fn value=”2”][/fn] In 2002, only 44 cases were reported in the United States.[fn]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemiology of measles—United States, 1998. MMWR 1999;48:749-753.[/fn]
* Since the Hib vaccine was introduced in 1985, serious Hib disease has declined from about 20,000 cases per year to 34 cases in 2002.[fn value=”1”][/fn][fn]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Progress toward eliminating Haemophilus influenzae type b disease among infants and children — United States, 1987-1997. MMWR 1998;47:993-998.[/fn]
During an outbreak, aren’t the majority of people who catch a disease those who have been vaccinated?
Although vaccines have very high effectiveness rates, they are not completely effective for 100% of the people who receive them. For example, a full series of measles vaccine will protect 99 of 100 children from measles, and polio vaccine will protect 99 of 100 children from polio.[fn value=”2”][/fn] This means that when there is a disease outbreak, the very small number of people for whom the vaccine did not work may still be able to catch the disease. Because almost all of our children are immunized, and only few are not, it can be the case that during an epidemic the majority of cases occur among children who were immunized. However, the fact remains that those who have not received the vaccine are much more likely to catch the disease.
* By way of example, consider an actual measles outbreak in Colorado in December 1994.[fn]Vitek CR, Aduddell M, Brinton MJ, Hoffman RE, Redd SC. Increased protections during a measles outbreak of children previously vaccinated with a second dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal 1999;18:620-623.[/fn] Out of 625 children exposed to the disease, 17 got measles. Of those 609 who had previously been vaccinated, only 10 (or 1.6 developed measles. Of the 16 children who were not immunized, 7 (or 44 developed measles. Thus, the risk for immunized children was less than 2% while the risk for unimmunized children was 44%.
If vaccine-preventable diseases have been virtually eliminated from the United States, why do American children need to be vaccinated?
Although many of these diseases have the potential to be eliminated, outbreaks of diphtheria, measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases still occur.
* Children who are not vaccinated against measles are 35 times more likely than immunized children to catch the disease.[fn]Salmon DA, Haber M, Gangarosa E, Phillips L, Smith NJ, and Chen RT. Health consequences of religious and philosophical exemptions from immunization laws. JAMA 1999;282(1):47-53.[/fn] Ten years ago (during the 1989 to 1991 measles epidemic), state health departments in the United States reported 55,622 measles cases, 11,251 hospitalizations, and 125 deaths.[fn value=”2”][/fn][fn]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public-sector vaccination efforts in response to the resurgence of measles among preschool-aged children—United States, 1989-1991. MMWR 1992;41:522-525.[/fn] Research has shown that these epidemic numbers are due to the fact that in some areas only 50% of preschool-aged children had received the vaccine.[fn value=”2”][/fn]
* Without vaccines, the diseases we are now protected from will return. Thousands of children will become sick, some will have long-lasting health problems, and some will die.
* Other countries do not have the same levels of immunization that we benefit from in the United States. Therefore, we must all remain protected with vaccines because dangerous diseases largely under control in the United States are only a plane ride away.
John H wrote:Did you guys see what that swine flu vaccine did to that poor cheerleader gave her dystonia ( sp ) made her all weird .
John H wrote:Look you guys can take all the vaccines you want seriously go right ahead nobody gives a crap . If we don't wanna take the vaccines oh well we can do whatever the @!#$ we want cause its our life . You guys seem like these religious nut-jobs who so badly believe in a god and think you know one exists but when somebody comes along and says " there is no god " or " i don't believe in god " and " i don't go to church " right away they bash you , call you the most horrible names you could imagine , say your going to hell .
If you guys don't like what we post here don't even come into this forum then its common sense really you guys should know this but i guess you don't too much vaccinations i guess haha .
John H wrote:You guys just bash how do you expect people to wanna debate with you .
John H wrote:You guys just bash how do you expect people to wanna debate with you .
sndsgood wrote:John H wrote:You guys just bash how do you expect people to wanna debate with you .
your whole argument was that you just didn't beleive it no matter what. that you know it cant be true and its common sence. that doesnt give anyone anything to debate you. your just saying u dont belive it. If you want to debate, come up with a better arguement then you just dont believe it.
Cavie Freak aka E-Thug wrote:Really you believe that bull@!#$? Dystonia is not caused by @!#$ vaccines is a neurological disorder. Do some homework there have been many findings that disprove anything that she claims. There is more mercury in a @!#$ can of tuna then the flu vaccine. Try again foil hat boy. Maybe it was the aliens sending a warning message. hahaha
Take Back the Republican Party wrote:Vaccines are proven to work. This argument does not even exist, save for in the minds of paranoid delusionacs. It's a complete waste of time to even try to reason with such people.
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read this weekend a little article saying that polio is basically almost wiped out due to vacinations, that there are only 4 countries that stil have any issues with it.
John H wrote:Vaccines probably only work on people with immune deficiencies people that need them .