Vaccines: Essential Weapons in the Fight Against Disease

Just a generation ago, one out of five children in the United States died before reaching adulthood.  Repeated epidemics swept through the world, killing as many as one-quarter of the population. Today, that frightening world no longer exists because of tremendous progress made in vaccine development and use. Vaccines save 2.5 million lives globally every year—the equivalent of preventing 7,000 deaths each day.