Vaccines are an extremely successful and cost-effective public health tool that prevents disease and death. Thirteen serious childhood diseases—including measles, rubella, diptheria and polio—are now preventable. Since vaccines were introduced, illnesses from vaccine-preventable diseases have been reduced by 99 percent. Still, more than 1 million U.S. children do not receive all the recommended vaccinations, and an additional 11,000 children who will need up to 22 vaccinations before age 2 are born each day. Continued vaccination is important because these diseases are still circulating—either at low levels in the United States or only a plane ride away in another part of the world.

Vaccinations present even greater opportunities to prevent disease among adults and adolescents where national coverage rates for most vaccines targeted to these populations are under 70 percent.  Each year in the United States, approximately 43,000 adults die from vaccine-preventable diseases or their complications. These diseases include influenza, pneumococcal disease and hepatitis B, among others.  Approximately 35 million adolescents fail to receive at least one recommended vaccine. During the next few years, the challenge of vaccinating adolescents will increase as new vaccines are developed and recommended for adolescents.
 
Additionally, major disparities exist in adult and adolescent immunization rates. African-American and Hispanic adults and adolescents are vaccinated at significantly lower rates compared to the general population. The best intervention strategies to increase immunizations among minorities are currently being evaluated by a federally sponsored project aimed at reducing immunization disparities.

During the past 50 years, immunizations have eradicated some once deadly illnesses and dramatically reduced the spread of numerous others.  Many of these diseases, such as measles, mumps, diphtheria and polio, are now only ancient memories for most Americans.  This Tool Kit has been prepared to help policymakers make informed decisions about many of the issues concerning immunizations.  The Immunization Tool Kit contains:

• Overview
• Immunization--A Prevention Strategy that Works
• Vaccine Safety Issue Brief
• Reducing Adult Immunization Disparities Issue Brief
• Exemptions from School Immunization Requirements Legislator Policy Brief
• Adult Immunization Talking Points
• Adolescent Immunizations Talking Points
• Health Care Worker Influenza Vaccinations Talking Points
• Exemptions to School Immunization Requirements Talking Points
• Resource Guide
• Recommended Vaccinations

Cervical Cancer Vaccine: Will Girls and Women in Your State Have Access?

For decades, a widespread virus—human papillomavirus (HPV)—has been causing most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer in women. But a new powerfully effective HPV vaccine has the potential to dramatically reduce the threat this virus poses to women's health.

Community Health Resources

Learn more about preventing influenza in CDC's Community Health Resources, including fact sheets, state and local program contacts, communication materials and state data.

Increasing Vaccination Rates in Adults

Each year in the United States, as many as 42,000 adults die and thousands more are hospitalized from diseases such as influenza and pneumonia that could be prevented by vaccination. The cost of treating these and other vaccine-preventable diseases exceeds $10 billion each year. The key to reducing this cost to society is increasing adult vaccination rates, especially for vulnerable groups,such as racial and ethnic minorities and seniors. This policy brief provides state policymakers key background information on adult immunizations and identifies strategies to increase adult immunization coverage.

Vaccinating Health Care Workers to Control Flu Outbreaks

The Legislator Policy Brief and Talking Points provide state policymakers with up-to-date information about why vaccinating health care workers is an important pubilc health issue and what legislators can do to increase vaccination rates.  The policy brief also includes innovative state programs and advice from two state legislators.

Exemptions from School Immunization Requirements

State laws that require immunizations for school entry have contributed greatly to the success of the U.S. immunization program in preventing, and in some cases eliminating disease.  This legislator policy brief provides state policymakers with information to address the ongoing debate surrounding the issue of nonmedical exemptions to school vaccination requirements.

TrendsAlert: Targeting Low Immunization Rates in Adolescents

This TrendsAlert provides information on the challenges states face in improving vaccination coverage rates in adolescents and how successful policies and strategies that have improved childhood immunization rates can be used to reach this population. It also provides information on the new vaccine recommended for adolescents to prevent cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV), and the issues states will face in implementing these recommendations.  

Protecting Our Communities: Programs to Reduce Adult Immunization Disparities

Flu and pneumonia immunizations can prevent deaths and costly hospitalizations in the elderly. Efforts to dramatically increase immunization levels in the elderly include initiatives for the Hispanic and African-American communities, where the elderly are not vaccinated as frequently as whites.