Staying up to date on your vaccines is important to keep yourself healthy. There has been a recent increase in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, pertussis and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in the U.S., so now it’s even more crucial to get the right vaccinations.
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Why Cases Are Growing
According to the latest data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 884 cases of measles have been reported in 30 states and this number is expected to become higher. Most of these cases have occurred in unvaccinated individuals.
In 2018, there were only 17 measles cases in the U.S., according to data research from the CDC. Most of those cases involved three separate outbreaks in New York State, New York City and New Jersey, primarily among unvaccinated members of Orthodox Jewish communities.
Similarly, pertussis or whooping cough cases increased in 2024 with six times as many cases being reported to the CDC than in 2023. Pertussis can be a serious disease at any age, but it is life-threatening in infants. Children under one year of age are at the greatest risk.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus is another vaccine-preventable disease that has been increasing in recent years. RSV generally causes mild symptoms similar to a cold, but it can be serious in infants and older adults.
The exact number of RSV cases cannot be determined because many people who get RSV will not seek medical treatment. However, the CDC estimates that 3.5 million to 6 million outpatient visits were a result of RSV.
Influenza is yet another vaccine-preventable disease that unfortunately claims many lives each year as the result of complications from the flu virus. Although influenza cases are declining, flu activity is still being reported.
The CDC reported that for the 2024-2025 flu season, there were 47 million illnesses, 610,000 hospitalizations and 26,000 deaths as of April 19, 2025. As a result, this season had the highest number of flu cases since 2010-2011.
Large-Scale Immunizations Establish ‘Herd Immunity’ against Diseases
When the majority of a population is vaccinated against a certain disease, “herd immunity” is established. When herd immunity is achieved, that helps prevent the spread of that disease.
However, parents may not get vaccinations for their children for several reasons, including:
- Religious beliefs
- Personal beliefs (for instance, getting the illness builds natural immunity)
- Safety concerns (fear of vaccine side effects, lack of trust in the medical community or insufficient knowledge of the risks of acquiring a vaccine-preventable disease)
As a result, herd immunity is lost and susceptible populations can experience outbreaks of those diseases.
What Public Health Providers Can Do to Encourage Vaccinations
Public health agencies play an essential role in providing vaccinations and immunizations for many diseases, including influenza, measles, pertussis, and RSV. We in public health must work harder to educate the public on the importance of vaccinations and immunizations for both children and adults.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends routine vaccinations for children and adults to prevent 17 vaccine-preventable diseases.
Educational materials (including vaccination scheduled for both children and adults) for healthcare providers, public health officials and the public are available on the CDC website.
Vaccinations have long been proven to be safe, with minimal risks and no scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism. However, there is a growing loss of herd immunity in the U.S. population as more and more parents exempt their children from immunizations. As a result, we may be facing more widespread disease outbreaks in the future and the resurgence of diseases that we haven’t seen in many years.
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