Childhood vaccines prevented 1.1 million deaths in US over past 30 years
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Key takeaways:
- From 1994 to 2023, nine routine childhood immunizations prevented more than 1.1 million deaths in the U.S.
- The study period covered the 30 years since the start of the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program.
Routine childhood vaccinations prevented more than 1.1 million deaths among children born during the past 30 years in the United States, CDC researchers found.
The researchers analyzed national data to estimate the health and economic benefits of nine vaccines covered under the CDC’s Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which provides free immunizations to children whose families are unable to pay for them.
The study covered the 30 years since the start of the VFC program in 1994 but was not limited to children who received vaccines through the program.
The nine vaccines included in the analysis cover 13 diseases:
- diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis;
- Haemophilus influenzae type b;
- polio;
- measles, mumps and rubella;
- hepatitis A and B;
- varicella;
- pneumonia; and
- rotavirus.
The researchers did not include vaccines against COVID-19 or influenza in the analysis “because the methods for assessing their costs and effects differ from those for other vaccines.”
According to the researchers, the data showed that among approximately 117 million children born in the U.S. during the study period, the nine vaccines prevented around 1.129 million deaths, 32 million hospitalizations and 508 million cases of illness.
In addition to the health benefits, the vaccines have provided considerable economic benefits, saving $540 billion in direct costs and $2.7 trillion in societal costs, according to the report.
The researchers noted that coverage for many of the vaccines hovered around 90% during the study period, but also that vaccination rates have declined in recent years as a result of disruptions in care during the COVID-19 pandemic and rising vaccine hesitancy.
“This analysis demonstrates the continued and substantial health benefits associated with vaccinating young children, rendering the investment in vaccines and immunizations services an important and cost-saving public health strategy,” the researchers wrote.
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