It seems like in the last year and a half, we have only talked about two subjects—how to stop the worldwide pandemics and the COVID-19 vaccine safety statistics. It took only a year to find out what seems to be the only solution for this rising problem.
With the question of COVID-19 vaccines becoming more popular, other questions about vaccines in general arise. Are they good or bad for human health? Have they brought more welfare or failure?
Stay with us and educate yourself on the burning subject of vaccines.
Vaccine Safety Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- The first human disease eradicated thanks to vaccines is smallpox
- The flu vaccine lowers the chances of getting the flu by 40% to 60%
- Every year, vaccines prevent up to three million deaths
- MMR causes severe allergic reactions to less than one in a million people
- 45% of people in the US doubt vaccine safety
- Only one in a million people die because of vaccination
- More than nine in ten children in the US received MMR
- Every year, over 1.5 million people die due to not being vaccinated
Disease Rates Before and After Vaccination
First of all, let’s explain how vaccines work. They introduce the weakened or killed form of the pathogen into the person’s body. Since the dose is small, the human organism doesn’t strain while fighting the pathogen. This way, the body gains immunity to the particular pathogen.
Another significant fact—vaccination and immunization are different terms. Immunization happens in the organism after taking a vaccine. To summarize, it is a process during which the organism becomes immune to a particular disease.
To add to that, CDC vaccine statistics state that the US currently has the ‘safest vaccine supply in its history.’
1. Smallpox is the first human disease eradicated, thanks to vaccines.
(Our World in Data)
It took almost 200 years between the invention of the smallpox vaccine and the eradication of the disease. Edward Jenner invented the vaccine in 1796. However, the last recorded case of smallpox occurred in 1977 in Somalia. The World Health Organisation declared it officially eradicated in 1980.
On the other hand, Rinderpest is the only eradicated animal disease so far. It was declared so in 2011.
2. The flu vaccine reduces the risk of getting the flu by 40% to 60%.
(Single Care)
As flu vaccine effectiveness statistics from 2020 show, the vaccine reduces the risk of getting the disease by 40% to 60%. At the same time, WHO (World Health Organisation) suggests that immunization saves two to three million lives annually.
3. In 2020, we broke the record by creating several COVID vaccines.
(Our World in Data)
Earlier in history, vaccine statistics show that it took humankind years to create an effective vaccine. For example, measles appeared in 1953, and the vaccine was licensed ten years later, in 1963. To add to that, this was the shortest period in history to create a vaccine for pandemics.
Still, when it comes to eradicating certain diseases, other factors influence it besides the success rate of vaccines. Let’s stick with measles as an example. In the ten years since the appearance of the vaccine, living conditions and general nutrition have improved a lot. Also, medical science made significant advancements.
4. As estimated, vaccines prevent 2-3 million deaths annually.
(Our World in Data)
Judging by the World Health Organisation, vaccination prevents two to three million deaths every year, as vaccine safety statistics report. Still, we can never know the exact benefits of immunization since it is impossible to calculate them. Nonetheless, positive effects are easy to notice. For example, smallpox was once extremely deadly and widespread. Today, the disease is eradicated worldwide.
On the other hand, only 7% of the children in developing countries got full immunization (all the recommended vaccine shots). The statistics refer to the 73 poorest countries.
Vaccine Side Effects Statistics
It is hard to associate all the side effects from different vaccines into one united statistic. Still, we’ve managed to compare them to one another and extract the most common side effects of all vaccines.
5. 19% of children had side effects to varicella and zoster vaccines.
(Single Care)
Almost a quarter of the children who received varicella (commonly known as chickenpox) and zoster (shingles) vaccines had local injection site reactions, as vaccination statistics indicate. The same goes for 24% of adults and adolescents.
6. Less than one in a million people show severe allergic reactions to the MMR.
(Single Care)
Side-effects usually happen because there are specific allergens in every vaccine. Still, only a small number of allergic reactions are spotted regarding MMR vaccines. The same goes for DTaP. Only one person in a million showed severe allergic reactions, judging by vaccine safety research.
Of course, other local and temporary reactions are natural and expected. For example, redness, pain, rash, fever, and swelling often occur. Still, anyone with more severe reactions should receive professional medical help as soon as possible.
7. 45% of Americans doubt vaccine safety.
(Single Care)
Almost half of US citizens doubt vaccine safety, as 2019 research indicated. This explains the high percentage of unvaccinated people in the US when it comes to certain diseases and infections. The most common sources for information on vaccine defects are online articles (somewhat expected), information from doctors and other medical experts, and general distrust in the pharmaceutical industry.
Vaccine Death Rates
It is hard to determine how many deaths are caused by the immunization since many side effects don’t appear right after the vaccination. Still, some tendencies can be transformed into statistics.
8. Around one in a million people die due to vaccination.
(Single Care)
We will take a step back from this particular stat, just for one reason (we’ve already mentioned it)—it is impossible to determine how many deaths occur strictly and expressly due to vaccination. For example, a vaccine safety study suggested that one in a million vaccinations against chickenpox resulted in death.
9. More than 1.5 million people die every year because they aren’t vaccinated.
(Single Care)
The world loses 1.5 million people every year because they weren’t vaccinated. In any case, if we compare the number of lives immunization has saved to the number of deaths, it is clear that vaccines have been beneficial for human health.
Childhood Vaccination Statistics
All facts aside, we think we would agree that our children’s safety comes first, and this is the reason why most US citizens consider vaccinating kids essential.
10. More than 9 in 10 people believe that vaccinating children is essential.
(Our World in Data, WHO)
Covering children with vaccines is now relatively high everywhere in the world. Also, 92% of people worldwide believe that immunization by vaccines is essential for children. Still, the numbers should get even higher. For example, facts about vaccines suggest that in 2020, around 113 million infants (83%) globally received three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) vaccine
Additionally, the stats show that the rich countries have a rate higher than 90%, while undeveloped countries go even below 50%. It is interesting that worldwide, people believe that fewer children are vaccinated than that number in reality.
11. Pneumonia can be eradicated by vaccines.
(Our World in Data)
Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children. So, a vaccine for pneumonia exists, but its coverage is still low. The WHO started recommending this vaccine in 2007, but children often don’t receive the shot throughout the world, as statistics about vaccinations announce. India is the worst – only 44% of one-year-olds were vaccinated in 2019. Nigeria follows, with only 58% of vaccinated babies. These are also the countries that have the highest rates of childhood deaths from pneumonia.
Additionally, 80% efficacy was shown in reducing invasive pneumococcal diseases among children who were vaccinated. There’s been a three-fold decrease in child mortality in the last three decades because of pneumonia, thanks to vaccination.
HPV Vaccine Statistics
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common infection that is transmitted sexually in the US. Still, statistics indicate that a vaccine can be of great assistance in repressing it.
12. 85% of children receive the first shot of the HPV vaccine.
(Our World in Data)
Still, for this particular vaccine, the WHO advises people to get all three shots. Unfortunately, only 64% get the second dose, as child vaccine statistics have shown. In conclusion, the numbers are rather dismal regarding HPV vaccine stats.
13. Pregnant women shouldn’t get the HPV vaccine.
(CDC)
This doesn’t come off as a surprise since most vaccines aren’t recommended to pregnant women. In addition, people who have had allergic reactions to previous doses of the same vaccine shouldn’t take another shot, either. Persons with severe or possibly life-threatening allergies shouldn’t get vaccinated.
MMR Vaccine Statistics
First of all, many people don’t know what the acronym ‘MMR’ stands for and what the vaccine eliminates. It stands for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Diseases.
Measles causes fever, rash, runny nose, possibly ear infections, diarrhea, even brain damage, and death.
CDC states that Mumps also causes fever, headaches, tiredness, loss of appetite while possibly affecting reproductive organs, even brain function.
Rubella causes fever as well, besides sore throat, itchy eyes, headache, etc. Also, vaccine risk statistics affirm that this vaccine is hazardous to pregnant women since it may cause miscarriage.
14. 91% of US children received MMR.
(Single Care)
Almost all US children 19 to 35 months old received MMR. In addition, 70% of US children received all the seven recommended vaccine shots for this particular age group.
15. 1 in 3 000 or 4 000 children have febrile seizures after MMR vaccination.
(CDC)
Vaccination statistics have shown that one in every 3 000 or 4 000 children younger than seven will have a febrile seizure in 6 to 14 days after receiving the MMR shot. Besides that, adverse effects include joint pain and temporary arthritis. These side effects are more common among adults than children and women than men.
Contrary to the general belief, CDC states that there isn’t a link between MMR shots and the rise in autism among children.
16. 1 in 40 000 children gets ITP disorder after MMR vaccination.
(CDC)
ITP disorder (Immune thrombocytopenic purpura) decreases the body’s ability to stop bleeding. It can occur after the MMR shot or after natural measles infection. Still, vaccine safety facts confirm that it is pretty rare and usually non-life-threatening. Particular medications and blood transfusions usually solve it. Also, the risk of getting ITP disorder is the highest in the first six weeks after the vaccination.
17. Pregnant women shouldn’t receive MMR.
(CDC)
Besides pregnant women, experts advise that persons with a weakened immune system (or those who have a history of hereditary immune system problems in their family) shouldn’t get MMR. In addition, people with severe allergies, a history of seizures, tuberculosis, conditions that make them bruise or bleed easily. Of course, people who are allergic to any substance in the vaccine, shouldn’t take the MMR shot, vaccination safety statistics declare. The same goes for people who took other vaccine shots in the last 30 days.
Conclusion
These days, it seems like humanity has turned into experts regarding vaccination and immunization in general. Still, we mustn’t stay blind and disregard facts that science proved correct. One of those truths is that, even though vaccines can cause side effects and even possible deaths, a much larger number of lives is saved thanks to them.
People Also Ask
How many people die from vaccines?
It is hard to count the exact number of deaths caused by vaccination. For instance, it is estimated that around one in a million people die due to chickenpox vaccination. On the other hand, an estimated 104 deaths allegedly occurred over a five-year period due to the measles vaccine. Still, other stats indicate that more than 1.5 million people die every year because they aren’t vaccinated.
Are vaccines safe?
As stated by the CDC, ‘the US has the safest vaccine supplies in history.’ All of the vaccines go through several rigorous tests and verification processes. All the data is transparent and available to everyone – the general public, health officials, and healthcare providers. Besides that, every vaccine has gone through a (usually) long period of monitoring and researching. Also, CDC encourages the public to inform the institution about the possible health problems caused by vaccines.
How are vaccines tested for safety?
Every vaccine goes through a period of monitoring and clinical testing before being released for use. The US Food and Drug Administration (or FDA) guarantees the effectiveness and safety of vaccines and their availability to all citizens. Also, before the FDA tests the vaccine, it is firstly strictly evaluated by the manufacturer. Another way to monitor the possible side effects is by supervising the people who received the vaccine shot.
Can you get sick from vaccines?
The most common vaccine effects can be pain, swelling, redness, headache, or feeling tired. Still, mild fever often happens, as well as muscle and joint aches. This occurs because, after the vaccination, the organism is fighting a small amount of disease. So, feeling ‘sick’ or experiencing something like a cold is a sign that your body is building the immune system and making it resistant to a particular disease.
Why is it important to get your child vaccinated?
First of all, immunizations can save your child’s life. Looking through history, many diseases have been eliminated or are close to extinction thanks to vaccination. For example, polio was once relatively common in the US, while these days, there aren’t any reports of this disease in the US. Besides protecting your child, immunization protects other people you care about. Not only do you protect your loved ones, but you protect future generations by vaccinating your child. (This one is simple – the more vaccination equals the more extinct diseases). In the end, vaccines are safer nowadays than they ever were in human history.
Why is the vaccine important?
The answer to this one is similar to the previous one. First of all, these days, vaccines are highly monitored and tested, ensuring they are doing only the best for your health. By immunization, you protect yourself and your children from possible diseases. Additionally, you are protecting your loved ones since, by vaccination, you are reducing the risks of being the transmitter of the disease. Vaccination is the best and cheapest way to protect the human race from different diseases, judging by vaccine safety statistics.
