If You Want to Stay Healthy: Get All Your Vaccinations!

By: Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBA, U.S. Surgeon General

Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools we have for preventing disease and death. They not only help protect vaccinated individuals, but they also help protect entire communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases. Among children in the U.S. born between 1994 and 2013, routine vaccinations will prevent an estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes.

So if you have questions about vaccines, talk to your health care professional.

Infant Immunization Week is a great time to start a discussion about vaccines. Learn more at www.vaccines.gov.