Immunization Resources | Online Learning for Healthcare Providers

Vaccines Help Save Lives

Worldwide, vaccines save 5 lives every minute.1

Vaccines are our best defense.

The introduction of vaccination programs has led to dramatic decreases in disease, disability, and death from many infectious diseases.2 This means that many of the diseases that vaccines help prevent are rarely seen.

U.S. Annual Disease Cases 1900s vs 2019

Click HERE to see what these diseases look like.
Hover over the disease to see cases in your area.,

Serious vaccine - preventable diseases are still out there.

Anywhere people are not protected by vaccination, outbreaks can occur.

The success of vaccines means that many diseases they prevent are rarely seen. However, they have not disappeared. Some diseases, like whooping cough and measles, are still fairly common even though we see them less.4

If we were all vaccinated...

...illness, hospitalization, and deaths from certain diseases could be reduced.

Vaccinations can reduce the number of cases of illness, hospitalization, and even deaths associated with flu, a preventable disease. Flu is different from a cold and some people will develop complications as a result of flu, some of which can be life-threatening and result in death.5

The CDC estimated* number of flu deaths during the 2021-2022 season:1,300 – 3,600 6

More than the number of people that died in the San Fransisco earthquake of 1906.7

The CDC estimated* number of flu hospitalizations during the 2021-2022 season:22,000 – 44,000 6

More than the population
of some vacation spots in Florida.8

The CDC estimated* number of flu illnesses during the 2021-2022 season:2,200,000 – 3,700,000 6

More than the
combined populations
of Rhode Island and Montana.9

*CDC estimates from October 1, 2019 – April 4, 2022

How vaccines work10

Vaccines enhance your body’s natural defenses without causing the disease.

  • The vaccine introduces an inactivated form of the microbe into the body.

  • The body produces defenses (called antibodies) that can protect it against future infections by this microbe.

  • When this disease-causing microbe (called a pathogen) enters the body (through the process of infection), the body’s defenses recognize it and eliminate it so the disease does not develop.

Vaccine Safety

Vaccines are some of the most rigorously-tested medicinal products available.11-13

Vaccines are held to very high safety standards because they are given to millions of healthy people—including infants and children—to help prevent diseases. Because of this, they go through years of safety testing and are continually monitored for safety concerns. And every batch of vaccines is tested for quality and safety.14

Click here to learn more about vaccine safety and safeguards.

Lightning bolt

You are more likely to be struck by lightning than to have a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine.

Odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime: 1 in 15,300.20
Odds of a serious adverse reaction (anaphylaxis) to most vaccines: 1 in 1,000,000.21

Recommended vaccine schedule

Act now: get vaccinated according to CDC recommended schedules

Infants / Young Children17
Pre-teen / Teen18
Adults 19-6419
Seniors 65+19

You can help keep yourself and your family safe and healthy by getting vaccinations on a CDC recommended schedule.15

Vaccination helps protect health against certain diseases at every stage of life. Many diseases can be prevented through routine, on-time vaccination starting at birth and continuing through childhood and throughout our adult lives. By following the CDC recommended vaccinations, you can help keep yourself and your family safe and healthy by providing immunity before disease exposure or risk of exposure increases.15-16

Talk to your healthcare provider about vaccinations today.

References

  1. 1. Rappuoli R. Vaccines: science, health, longevity, and wealth. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(34):12282.
  2. 2. Immunization coverage. World Health Organization website. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/immunization-coverage. Published December 6, 2019. Accessed December 6, 2019.
  3. 3. Impact of vaccines in the 20th and 21st centuries. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/e/impact.pdf. Updated January 2019. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019
  4. 4. National notifiable infectious diseases and conditions: United States. https://wonder.cdc.gov/nndss/nndss_annual_tables_menu.asp?mmwr_year=2018. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  5. 5. Influenza (flu) flu symptoms and complications. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/symptoms.htm. Updated September 18, 2019. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  6. 6. Estimated Influenza Illnesses, Medical visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths in the United States — 2021–2022 influenza season. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/2018-2019.html. Reviewed January 8, 2020. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  7. 7. Inside Arenas. NBA arena comparisons. http://www.insidearenas.com/comparisons.htm. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  8. 8. Cleveland, Ohio population 2020. https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/cleveland-oh-population. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019
  9. 9. Infoplease.com. State population by rank. https://www.infoplease.com/us/states/state-population-by-rank. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  10. 10. Marisol Touraine, ministre des Affaires sociales, de la Santé et des Droits des femmes, réaffirme l’importance de la vaccination. Inpes Sante publique France website. http://inpes.santepubliquefrance.fr/30000/actus2015/032-vaccination.asp. Published May 6, 2015. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  11. 11. Ensuring the safety of vaccines in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-ensuring-color-office.pdf. Reviewed January 2018. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  12. 12. Is vaccination safe? National Health Services (NHS) United Kingdom website. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/safety-and-side-effects/. Reviewed July 30, 2019. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  13. 13. Vaccines. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines. Content current as of June 22, 2020. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  14. 14. Vaccine safety. US Department of Health and Human Services Vaccine website. https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/safety. Reviewed February 2020. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  15. 15. What vaccines are recommended for you. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/rec-vac/index.html. Reviewed November 21, 2019. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  16. 16. Growing up with vaccines: What parents should know? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/growing/images/global/CDC-Growing-Up-with-Vaccines.pdf. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  17. 17. 2020 Recommended Immunizations for Children from Birth Through 6 Years Old. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf. Updated January 2020. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  18. 18. 2020 Recommended Immunizations for Children 7–18 Years Old. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/teen/parent-version-schedule-7-18yrs.pdf. Updated January, 2020. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  19. 19. Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule for ages 19 years or older, 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/downloads/adult/adult-combined-schedule.pdf. Updated January 29, 2020. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019.
  20. 20. How dangerous is lightning? National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-odds.Accessed Mar 14 , 2019
  21. 21. Preventing and managing adverse reactions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/general-recs/adverse-reactions.html. Accessed Mar 14 , 2019