Brief History and Overview

Immunizations are one of the public health successes of the past century. They have eradicated smallpox globally and polio in the United States and have drastically reduced 13 other diseases, including measles, diphtheria, rubella, pertussis and others that can cause severe illness and death (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022).

An estimated 11,000 babies are born in the U.S. every day. To be protected from childhood diseases and health threats such as COVID-19, by age 18 months each infant should receive all vaccinations recommended by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

Vaccines represent one of the most cost-effective clinical preventive services available. Each birth cohort immunized according to the ACIP schedule benefits society by:

• Saving 33,000 lives
• Preventing 14 million cases of disease
• Reducing direct health-care costs by $9.9 billion
• Saving $33.4 billion in indirect costs (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Healthy People 2020)

New vaccines are in development to address emerging issues and additional infectious diseases and agents, such as tuberculosis, HIV and malaria—all of which can spread rapidly through international travel.

Vaccine hesitancy and refusal are growing among certain demographics and in specific geographic areas, creating greater vulnerability for individuals who are too young to be immunized or have health conditions that prevent them from being immunized.