Vaccinations Among US Kids Since 1994 Will Save 732,000 Lives, CDC Says.

says a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month found that the vaccination of children from 1994 to 2013 will prevent 732,000 early deaths in the United States. The report found that 90 percent of children under age 3 were vaccinated against polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and chickenpox last year, but less than 90 percent “received DTaP — the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis — or the vaccines against Haemophilus influenzae Type B, pneumococcal disease, hepatitis A and rotavirus.” Only 0.7 percent of children did not receive any vaccination. “The really positive message here is that even though we hear a lot about vaccine refusal, most parents choose to protect their children,” said Dr. Amanda Cohn, a pediatrician with the CDC. Adults Urged To Get Vaccinated For HPV, Other Diseases. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9/15, Daly) reports on other vaccines that adults should get in addition to the influenza vaccine. The CDC reported last fall that adults 19 and older were “below target levels for pneumonia, tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, herpes zoster (shingles) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations.” Medical experts support “expanding HPV vaccinations for young men and women, designed to prevent the sexually transmitted disease from causing cancer.” Young adults born after 1980 who have not had chickenpox are also recommended to get that vaccine. Young people between 16 to 23 are also “targeted for the meningococcal vaccines.” http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2015/09/15/Adults-need-more-than-just-the-annual-flu-vaccine/stories/201509150008