Vaccine-Preventable Adult Diseases

Vaccine-preventable diseases cause long-term illness, hospitalization, and even death.

Did You Know

Each year in the United States, 1 million people get shingles and some will have severe pain that can continue even long after their rash clears up (called post-herpetic neuralgia) or they may suffer from other painful complications that could persist for years.

In the United States:

Each year, an average of 226,000 people are hospitalized due to influenza and between 3,000 and 49,000 people die of influenza and its complications, the majority are among adults.
There were approximately 32,000 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in 2012. Of those cases, there were about 3,300 deaths.
800,000 to 1.4 million people suffer from chronic hepatitis B, with complications such as liver cancer.
In the U.S., HPV causes about 17,000 cancers in women, and about 9,000 cancers in men each year. About 4,000 women die each year from cervical cancer.

Learn About Serious Diseases that Can Be Prevented by Vaccines

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Whooping Cough (Pertussis) expanded

What it is

Whooping coughis a highly contagious respiratory tract infection caused by bacteria. Since the 1980s, there has been an increase in the number of reported cases of pertussis in the United States. Babies too young to get vaccinated are most at risk of severe illness.

How it can affect you

Whooping cough can cause prolonged cold symptoms, leading to spells of violent coughing and choking, making it hard to breathe, drink, or eat. This cough can last for weeks. Whooping cough is most severe for babies, leading to hospitalization and sometimes death. Babies often get the disease from a parent, caregiver, or relative.