Vaccine-Preventable Childhood Diseases
It is estimated that among children born between 1994 and 2023, routine childhood vaccines prevented 508 million illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations, and over 1 million deaths in the U.S.
Many of the vaccines people need are given before age 2. Infants, children, and teens should get vaccinated following the American Academy of Pediatrics schedule to make sure they are protected as early as possible and stay protected throughout their life.
Talk to your child’s health care provider to make sure your child is vaccinated on time or if you have questions about vaccination.
Recommended Child Vaccines
DTaP Vaccine
The diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine prevents:
- Diphtheria. This serious disease can make it hard to breathe or swallow. Even with proper treatment, it kills about one in every 10 patients.
- Pertussis. Also known as whooping cough, this highly contagious illness causes severe coughing spells. In rare cases, it can lead to death. About 65% of the cases reported in the U.S. occur in children younger 5 five years old. About half of babies younger than 1 who get pertussis require hospitalization.
- Tetanus. This bacterial illness, also known as lockjaw, enters through a wound and can affect the nervous system, causing spasms. Tetanus is fatal in up to two out of every 10 people who get it in the U.S.
Diphtheria rates have decreased by more than 99% and pertussis and tetanus rates have decreased by 97% in the U.S. since vaccination began.
Hib Vaccine
Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) causes pneumonia and various infections throughout the body, including in the bones, brain, and heart. It is most serious in infants who are younger than 1.
Before this vaccine was developed, Hib caused meningitis in about 20,000 children per year in the U.S., with about 1,000 of those patients dying. Hib rates have decreased by more than 99% since vaccination began.
HBV Vaccine
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause acute and chronic disease. It has no cure, and chronic infection can result in cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, and death. Of infants who contract the virus within their first year of life, 90% develop chronic hepatitis B. One in four people who contract hepatitis B in childhood die from liver cirrhosis or liver cancer later in life.
Hepatitis B can be spread through blood, semen, and vaginal fluids. Infants can contract it during birth if the person giving birth is infected, after birth from caregivers who have hepatitis B, or from surfaces or objects contaminated by hepatitis B.
The hepatitis B vaccine birth dose and completion of the hepatitis B vaccine series in the first 18 months of life protects children when they are most vulnerable to hepatitis B. It has been given to infants for over 50 years and is the best way to protect children against the dangers of hepatitis B.
MMR Vaccine
The measles vaccine is combined with mumps and rubella vaccines into one vaccine called measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). The MMR vaccine prevents:
- Measles. This highly contagious disease can lead to pneumonia and ear infections, which in turn can cause convulsions, deafness, and mental delays. About one in 10 children with measles get an ear infection that can result in permanent hearing loss.
- Before the measles vaccination program started in 1963, an estimated 3 to 4 million people got measles each year in the U.S., with 500,000 cases being reported. Among reported cases, approximately 400 to 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and 1,000 developed encephalitis (brain swelling) from measles.
- One dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses is 97% effective against measles.
- Mumps. This viral illness can result in various complications and cause meningitis and deafness.
- Rubella. Also known as German measles, rubella is most serious in pregnant women. If a woman gets rubella in early pregnancy, there is an 80% chance it will result in defects in the unborn child.
PCV Vaccine
The pneumococcus bacteria can cause a variety of pneumococcal diseases. It is the most common cause of bloodstream infections, pneumonia, meningitis, and middle-ear infections in young children. Most infections are mild, but some can result in long-term health problems or death.
Polio Vaccine
Polio can affect the brain and spinal cord, leading to paralysis. It causes meningitis in about one out of every 25 people who have the infection.
Rotavirus Vaccine
Rotavirus can cause inflammation of the stomach and intestines, resulting in watery diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Infants and young children are the most likely to get this disease.
Varicella Vaccine
Chickenpox (varicella zoster) is a highly contagious disease that can cause aches and rashes, as well as painful skin lesions later in life. Before the vaccine was developed, chickenpox resulted in 9,000 hospitalizations and up to 100 deaths per year in the U.S. Newborns are at an especially high risk of complications from chickenpox.
Vaccine Safety
- Scientists test vaccines carefully in studies called clinical trials, which include several safety checks. Before a vaccine can be approved, it must go through years of clinical trials to show it is effective and its benefits outweigh its risks.
- After vaccines are approved, they continue to be studied, giving us real-world data on vaccine effectiveness and side effects. Vaccine safety is also monitored through the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), which clinicians and patients can use to report any potential adverse reactions that could be related to vaccination.
- Ingredients used in vaccines are the minimum necessary to keep them safe and effective.
New York City Vaccination Data
Higher vaccination rates lower the risk that a vaccine-preventable disease will spread if the disease enters the community. You can see the percentage of children who are vaccinated in NYC using the Childhood Vaccination Data Explorer.