You don’t need a time machine to see kids dying of measles, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b disease, rotavirus, or Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis though, just a few of the vaccine preventable illnesses that kids in the United States are routinely immunized against. Unfortunately, these infections are still killing millions of children around the world.

The fact that these infections haven’t been eradicated yet also means that they are just a plane ride away, which was clearly seen in the recent California measles outbreak, and could begin to increase if childhood immunizations are delayed or stopped by too many people.

Learn about how current vaccines and past vaccination programs have now controlled 10 major infectious diseases in developed countries and are protecting kids from other vaccine preventable illnesses.

And if you have ever seen a child with measles, a baby born with congenital rubella syndrome, or an infant with whooping cough who can’t breath, you likely wouldn’t follow a “bring it on” approach to these infectious diseases or advise that parents not immunize their children.