Vaccines Rock

From the Incidental Economist (which you should read) reporting on CDC findings:

Among 78.6 million children born during 1994–2013, routine childhood immunization was estimated to prevent 322 million illnesses (averaging 4.1 illnesses per child) and 21 million hospitalizations (0.27 per child) over the course of their lifetimes and avert 732,000 premature deaths from vaccine-preventable illnesses

Averted 732,000 premature deaths. Not trivial.

Vaccination will potentially avert $402 billion in direct costs and $1.5 trillion in societal costs because of illnesses prevented in these birth cohorts.

$402 billion dollars. Again, not so trivial.

Or feel free to listen to Jenny McCarthy. She is, after all, attractive…