Benefits from immunization during the vaccines for children program era - United States, 1994-2013

Abstract

The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program was created by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 and first implemented in 1994. VFC was designed to ensure that eligible children do not contract vaccine-preventable diseases because of inability to pay for vaccine and was created in response to a measles resurgence in the United States that resulted in approximately 55,000 cases reported during 1989-1991. The resurgence was caused largely by widespread failure to vaccinate uninsured children at the recommended age of 12-15 months. To summarize the impact of the U.S. immunization program on the health of all children (both VFC-eligible and not VFC-eligible) who were born during the 20 years since VFC began, CDC used information on immunization coverage from the National Immunization Survey (NIS) and a previously published cost-benefit model to estimate illnesses, hospitalizations, and premature deaths prevented and costs saved by routine childhood vaccination during 1994-2013. Coverage for many childhood vaccine series was near or above 90% for much of the period. Modeling estimated that, among children born during 1994- 2013, vaccination will prevent an estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes, at a net savings of $295 billion in direct costs and $1.38 trillion in total societal costs. With support from the VFC program, immunization has been a highly effective tool for improving the health of U.S. children.

FIGURE

Vaccine coverage rates among preschool-aged children^* — United States, 1967–2012 Abbreviations: DTP/DTaP = diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis or diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis; MMR = measles, mumps, and rubella; Hib = Haemophilus influenzae type b; Hep B = hepatitis B; PCV = pneumococcal conjugate vaccine; RV = rotavirus vaccine; Hep A = hepatitis A. Sources: United States Immunization Survey (1967–1985), National Health Interview Survey (1991–1993), and National Immunization Survey (1994–2012). No data are available for 1986–1990. ^* Children in the United States Immunization Survey and National Health Interview Survey were aged 24–35 months. Children in the National Immunization Survey were aged 19–35 months. ^† Numbers in parentheses refer to the number of doses of that vaccine being tracked in this figure. ^§ For rotavirus vaccine, 2 or 3 doses are tracked, depending on the type of rotavirus vaccine received.