Health Literacy AsiaSummary
Before vaccines were widely available, many infectious diseases caused millions of cases, thousands of deaths, and severe long-term health complications every year. This table highlights the incidence, mortality, and potential complications of major vaccine-preventable diseases, demonstrating the tremendous impact of vaccination programs on public health.
Diseases such as measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, and rubella caused widespread illness and sometimes permanent disabilities like paralysis, brain damage, hearing loss, infertility, or congenital defects. Other infections, including Hib, pneumococcal diseases, and HPV, could lead to serious organ damage or cancer.
By comparing the pre-vaccine era data, it becomes clear how vaccines have dramatically reduced the number of infections and serious outcomes, saving millions of lives worldwide.
Table 1: Vaccine-preventable diseases
| Disease | Incidence per Year (Pre-Vaccination) | Case Fatality Rate | Severe Complications / Sequelae |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | >500,000/year (USA), 2–4 million in EU | 1–3/1,000 cases | Encephalitis: 1/1,000; SSPE: 4–11/100,000 |
| Mumps | 200,000/year (USA) | Rare (<1/10,000) | Deafness: 1/20,000; Meningitis: 1%; Male infertility: 1–3% |
| Rubella | 50,000/year (USA/EU) | <1/10,000 cases | CRS: up to 90% if infected in 1st trimester, ~20% at 12–20 weeks |
| Diphtheria | 100,000/year (USA) | 5–10% of cases | Heart and nerve injury, paralysis |
| Tetanus | 0.4/100,000 (USA) | 10–90% (age/treatment dependent) | Muscle cramps, paralysis |
| Pertussis (Whooping Cough) | >200,000/year (USA) | 0.5–1% in infants | Pneumonia, seizures, brain damage |
| Pneumococcal Infection | 100–200/100,000 <5 yrs/year (EU) | 10–30% (severe cases) | Hearing loss, epilepsy, cognitive deficits |
| Meningococcal Infection | 1–3/100,000 (EU) | 10–20% | Amputations, deafness, organ damage: 10–20% |
| Invasive Hib | 20–60/100,000 <5 yrs/year (EU) | 5% | Hearing loss, brain damage: up to 30% |
| Hepatitis B | >90% chronic infection if infected at birth | 15–25% die from late sequelae | Cirrhosis, liver cancer |
| Polio | 13,000/year (USA, 1950s) | 2–5% of children | Paralysis: up to 1/200 cases; Permanent disability |
| Varicella (Chickenpox) | >4 million/year (USA) | 1–2/100,000 | Encephalitis, nerve disorders <0.1% |
| HPV Cancer (Cervical) | 6,000 cervical cancers/year (Germany) | 1,500–1,700 deaths/year | Infertility, organ loss post-treatment |
To view the full table – click and download the PDF file.
Notes and reference corrections
- Measles / SSPE: The risk of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) occurs at 4–11 cases per 100,000 measles cases, higher if infection occurs in infancy.
- Mumps / Infertility: Permanent male infertility from mumps is rare and not robustly quantifiable; orchitis is common, but clear epidemiological rates for infertility are uncertain.
- Rubella / CRS: Risk of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) depends on trimester—up to 90% in the first trimester, ~20% if infection occurs at 12–20 weeks.
- All other values are corroborated by CDC, WHO, and ECDC data.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. History of Measles. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html . Accessed November 2025.
- World Health Organization. Measles vaccines. Available at: https://www.who.int/groups/global-advisory-committee-on-vaccine-safety/topics/measles-vaccines . Accessed November 2025.
- Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) – MSD Manuals. Available at: https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/pediatrics/common-viral-infections-in-infants-and-children/subacute-sclerosing-panencephalitis-sspe . Accessed November 2025.
- Rate of measles cases and deaths in the United States. Our World in Data. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/measles-cases-and-death-rate . Accessed November 2025.
- Measles – Pediatrics – MSD Manual Professional Edition. Available at: https://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/pediatrics/common-viral-infections-in-infants-and-children/measles . Accessed November 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Clinical Features of Mumps. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/hcp/clinical-signs/index.html . Accessed November 2025.
- Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health. Mumps 2022. Available at: https://www.mass.gov/doc/mumps-2022/download . Accessed November 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/rubella/about-crs.html . Accessed November 2025.
- Wikipedia. Congenital rubella syndrome. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congenital_rubella_syndrome . Accessed November 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chapter 7: Diphtheria. Pink Book. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/pinkbook/hcp/table-of-contents/chapter-7-diphtheria.html . Accessed November 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chapter 16: Tetanus. Pink Book. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/surv-manual/php/table-of-contents/chapter-16-tetanus.html . Accessed November 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pertussis Surveillance and Trends. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/tetanus/php/surveillance/index.html . Accessed November 2025.
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Invasive pneumococcal disease. Available at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/invasive-pneumococcal-disease . Accessed November 2025.
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Meningococcal disease. Available at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/meningococcal-disease . Accessed November 2025.
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Haemophilus influenzae type b. Available at: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/hib . Accessed November 2025.
- World Health Organization. Hepatitis B fact sheet. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b . Accessed November 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chapter 12: Poliomyelitis. Pink Book. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/polio.html . Accessed November 2025.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chapter 17: Varicella. Pink Book. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/varicella.html . Accessed November 2025.
- World Health Organization. Human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-papillomavirus-and-cervical-cancer . Accessed November 2025.
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