The week of April 2 - 8, 2012 will be celebrated as National Public Health Week. One of the most significant achievements in public health during the 20th century is the worldwide use of immunizations to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
 
Vaccines have eradicated smallpox, eliminated poliovirus in the United States and significantly reduced the number of cases of measles, diphtheria, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough) and other diseases. Getting immunized is a lifelong, life-protecting community effort regardless of age, sex, race, ethnic background or country of origin. Recommended vaccinations begin soon after birth and continue throughout a lifetime, offering safe and effective protection from infectious diseases. Being aware of and receiving the various vaccines that are recommended for every stage of life is critical to protecting ourselves and our community from disease.  
 
A 2010 article titled "Millions of American Adults Not up to Date on Needed Immunizations" recently caught my attention, making me wonder how this could happen in the United States.  The article cited data from Trust for America's Health (TFAH), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF),  showing that millions of American adults go without routine and recommended vaccinations each year. The report attributed this to barriers such as a lack of knowledge about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, limited access to health care providers for many and limited research and development of new vaccines.
 
This particular lack of routine immunizations is responsible for thousands of preventable illnesses, an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 preventable deaths and $10 billion in preventable health care costs each year. The TFAH report found only 2.1% of eligible adults had tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis vaccines in the previous two years, 10% of eligible adult women have had the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and only 36.1% of all adults were vaccinated against the seasonal flu in 2008. In addition, the report found that more than 30% of adults ages 65 and older in 36 states had not been immunized against pneumonia as of 2008.  Current data indicate that there has been little improvement in vaccination coverage among U.S. adults since the above findings.