One of the biggest reasons some families hesitate to vaccinate? it can be hard to understand the real risks of disease.
Putting vaccine risks in perspective
Most vaccines have about a 1 in 1 million chance of a serious adverse event. That’s the equivalent of:
One StepÂ
in a 568-mile journey
One MinuteÂ
out of two years
Meanwhile, diseases like measles, whooping cough, and meningitis can have devastating consequences. Understanding the true disease risks helps people make informed decisions to protect their families.
Making vaccination easy
- Use electronic health records (EHR) to set reminders for vaccine appointments.
- Ask patients about vaccines at every visit, even during check-ups for minor concerns
Diseases we no longer see—thanks to vaccines
- Before the measles vaccine, nearly everyone got measles, and hundreds died each year.
- Before the diphtheria vaccine, 15,000 Americans died annually from it.
- In 1964, a rubella epidemic led to 2,000 infant deaths and 11,000 miscarriages—now, thanks to vaccines, rubella is nearly unheard of.
These diseases haven’t disappeared—vaccines just keep them under control. If we stop vaccinating, they will come back.
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