science
U.S. Vaccines Reduced Deaths From Smallpox, Polio, Measles and Other Diseases
Vaccines developed between 1796 and 1945 lowered U.S. cases of smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza, polio and measles. Data from health agencies show large drops in reported illnesses and deaths after each vaccine entered use.
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Vaccines introduced in the United States from 1796 onward reduced recorded cases and deaths from several infectious diseases, according to historical data cited by the CDC and WHO. Before 1796, smallpox killed about 30 percent of those infected. The first successful vaccine, developed that year, led to the global eradication of the disease.
A rabies vaccine created in 1885 prevents the disease when given after exposure. Diphtheria cases fell from 100,000–200,000 per year in the 1920s to near zero after the toxoid vaccine was introduced. Tetanus vaccination, also developed in the 1920s, remains part of the routine schedule with boosters every 10 years.
Pertussis cases dropped more than 90 percent after the vaccine entered use in the 1910s and the combination DTP vaccine in the 1940s. The first U.S. influenza vaccine was licensed in 1945. Polio cases exceeded 15,000 per year in the early 1950s. After the Salk vaccine was introduced in 1955, the United States was declared free of wild poliovirus in 1979.
Before the measles vaccine, nearly all American children contracted the disease by age 15, with 400–500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations recorded annually. The MMR vaccine combined protection against measles, mumps and rubella. Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said the benefit of vaccines to individuals and society "vastly outweighs any harm."
