DHSS Press Release

VACCINES: PUBLIC HEALTH SUCCESS STORY OF 20^TH CENTURY

DPH encourages parents to remain vigilant in immunizing their children

DOVER - Delaware's Division of Public Health (DPH) is encouraging parents to remain vigilant in obtaining vaccines for their children to ensure the continued success of immunization programs.

"Vaccines were the greatest public health achievement of the 20th century," said Steve Dettwyler, director of DPH's Immunization Program. "As we entered the 21st Century, immunization rates had reached record highs in the United States. We are striving to maintain those levels to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and diphtheria."

DPH is focusing special attention on reaching the parents of newborn children, because the first two years of life are a critical time for obtaining vaccines. Children should receive 15-19 doses of vaccine by the age of 18 months to be protected against 10 childhood diseases. These vaccine-preventable diseases include diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and varicella (chickenpox).

Although many of these diseases are now extremely rare, the viruses and bacteria that cause them still exist. If immunization rates drop, the risk of disease outbreak increases. In 95 percent of children, vaccines provide immunity to disease by mobilizing the body's natural defenses. The remaining 5 percent of children are not able to gain immunity through vaccines. These children can be protected only by "community immunity" - when high immunization rates successfully prevent disease outbreak for the entire community.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers four examples of vaccine success to illustrate the importance of continued vigilance in obtaining childhood immunizations:

• Polio - Before polio vaccine was available, 13,000 to 20,000 cases of paralytic polio were reported each year in the United States, leaving thousands of children in braces, crutches, wheelchairs and iron lungs. Though virtually eradicated here, polio still exists around the world. In 1994, wild poliovirus was imported to Canada from India, but high vaccination levels prevented it from spreading. If immunization rates fall in the United States, children could be exposed to imported strains of this deadly virus.
• Measles - Prior to introduction of the measles vaccine, there were approximately 3-4 million cases each year, and 450 deaths annually between 1953-63. Widespread use of the vaccine has led to a greater than 99 percent reduction in the rate of measles infection in the United States. However, in the late 1980s, immunization rates against measles dropped, leading to 100,000 cases of the disease and more than 100 deaths.
• Rubella (German Measles) - In 1964-65, before rubella immunization was used routinely in the United States, a rubella epidemic resulted in 11,000 miscarriages, 2,000 neonatal deaths and 20,000 infants born deaf, blind or mentally retarded. In 1998, only 19 pregnant women contracted rubella.
• Mumps - Before the mumps vaccine was introduced, this viral disease was a major cause of deafness in children. About 212,000 cases occurred in 1964. After vaccine licensure in 1967, reports of mumps decreased rapidly, though a resurgence in 1987 led to 12,848 reported cases. Since 1989, incidence has again dropped, with a total of 606 cases reported in 1998. Mumps is easily spread among unvaccinated persons and would quickly return if immunization rates drop.

DPH encourages parents to consult their pediatricians about their children's immunization status, and arrange for any missing doses of vaccine to be given. Parents of uninsured or Medicaid-eligible children should ask their doctor about Delaware's Vaccine for Children program, which provides free vaccines to eligible children. For more information, call the Immunization Hotline at (800) 282-8672.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.