A wonderful series of articles called the "Ten Great Public Health Achievements - United States, 1900-1999" are being developed by the Centers for Disease Control. The first article titled, "Impact of Vaccines Universally Recommended for Children - United States, 1990-1999," is currently available. The other 9 articles will be published on the Web during the remainder of 1999. The topics of these other articles are:
- Motor vehicle safety
- Safer workplaces
- Control of infectious diseases
- Decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke
- Safer and healthier foods
- Healthier mothers and babies
- Family planning
- Fluoridation of drinking water
- Recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard
One major public health advancement has been the development of vaccines that prevent people from getting certain diseases. Universal vaccination (a vaccine given to every person) has resulted in the world-wide elimination of a viral disease called smallpox and the elimination of wild type polio (polio that you get from contaminated water supplies) from the Western Hemisphere.
Life in the early 1900s was very different from life as we know it in the 1990s. Infectious diseases were very common in the United States and exacted an enormous toll on the population. For example, in 1900, 21,064 cases of smallpox were reported, with 894 patients dying of smallpox. In 1920, 469,924 measles cases were reported, and 7575 patients died; 147,991 diphtheria cases were reported, and 13,170 patients died. In 1922, 107,473 pertussis cases were reported, and 5,099 patients died. Most people knew someone or was the victim of one of these diseases we consider very rare or nonexistent today. This enormous amount of human suffering occurred because vaccines were not given to people to the same extent as they are today.
Not only are vaccines preventing illness they are also saving us many millions of dollars in health related costs. The elimination of smallpox in 1977 enabled the world to discontinue all prevention and treatment efforts, including routine vaccination. As a result, in 1985 the United States recouped its investment in worldwide eradication every 26 days. In 1994, every dollar spent to give the oral polio virus vaccine saved $3.40 in direct medical costs and $2.74 in indirect societal costs.
Vaccines have lengthened and enriched our lives. Many of them will still need to be given to our children or these diseases will come back. If you are behind on your immunization schedules for your children
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