Vaccines prevent a wide range of serious infectious diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), Hepatitis A & B, Hib, HPV, chickenpox (varicella), shingles, influenza (flu), COVID-19, pneumococcal disease, and meningococcal disease, protecting individuals and communities from potentially fatal or debilitating illnesses by building immunity.
Available vaccines
The new guidelines no longer universally recommend children receive vaccines for rotavirus, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, meningitis (meningococcal disease), RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID, and influenza (the flu).
There are several types of vaccines, including:
The six diseases chosen to be tackled under this new initiative were tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and measles. It was not until 1988 that the WHO recommended that yellow fever vaccine be added to the national immunization programs of those countries with endemic disease (WHO and UNICEF 1996).
Diseases that vaccines can prevent
Twenty common diseases, covering chronic and infectious types, include Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Asthma, Arthritis, Hypertension, Stroke, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Alzheimer's, Depression, alongside infections like COVID-19, Influenza (Flu), Pneumonia, Strep Throat, UTIs, Common Cold, Chickenpox, Chlamydia, Gastroenteritis, and skin issues like Acne/Eczema, impacting millions globally with varied causes from lifestyle to viruses.
13 Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
Eradicated Diseases
4 in 1 is the name given to the vaccine which protects against diphtheria, polio, tetanus and whooping cough (Pertussis). All these infections are serious diseases that can lead to hospital admission and at worst can cause death.
Necessary vaccinations
Over the first decade of your child's life, they need hepatitis A and B, RSV, rotavirus, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis), IPV (for polio), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), varicella, Haemophilus influenzae, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.
The "3-2-1 rule" in veterinary medicine refers to monitoring post-vaccination lumps in cats for potential Feline Injection-Site Sarcomas (FISS): a lump needs investigation (biopsy/removal) if it's still there 3 months after vaccination, is bigger than 2 cm (about 1 inch), or is growing larger 1 month after appearing. This guideline helps differentiate normal inflammatory reactions from cancerous growths that can rarely form at injection sites, according to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and Veterinary Partner.
Some people should not get this vaccine.
Tell your vaccination provider if the person getting the vaccine: Has had an allergic reaction after a previous dose of any vaccine that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, or pertussis, or has any severe, life-threatening allergies.
Immunization currently prevents 3.5 million to 5 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), influenza and measles. Immunization is key to primary health care, an indisputable human right, and one of the best health investments money can buy.
This exposes our children to great risk of illness, disability and death due to eight childhood immunisable diseases (i.e. Polio, Measles, Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b and Whooping Cough).
The last known natural case was in Somalia in 1977. In 1980 WHO declared smallpox eradicated – the only infectious disease to achieve this distinction. This remains among the most notable and profound public health successes in history.
Vaccination has made an enormous contribution to global health. Two major infections, smallpox and rinderpest, have been eradicated.
Parents who reject vaccine recommendations are primarily worried about side effects and the risks of the shots rather than facing challenges getting them. About half of parents overall lack faith in federal health agencies to ensure vaccine safety, mirroring the findings of other surveys.
So, by getting cowpox, a minor illness, and becoming immune to it, people also became immune to smallpox. Jenner began infecting people with cowpox to prevent them from getting smallpox, creating the first vaccine. The word “vaccine” is actually from the Latin word for cow (“vacca”).
Diseases that Vaccines Help Protect Against
Discover the unique powers of each vaccine and the perfect timing to give them a shot.
What are the 6 childhood killer diseases?
Leading Causes of Death
Medical conditions that still remain incurable
There are four main types of disease: infectious diseases, deficiency diseases, hereditary diseases (including both genetic and non-genetic hereditary diseases), and physiological diseases. Diseases can also be classified in other ways, such as communicable versus non-communicable diseases.