The science is clear: Vaccines save and improve lives

Vaccination is considered one of the top 10 medical achievements of the 20th century. Vaccines now protect us from such vaccine preventable diseases as the flu, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, polio, and certain forms of cancer. Yet recently, the country has seen a resurgence of some of these diseases as vaccination rates fall among certain groups. While Delaware’s vaccination rates are high, we still see outbreaks, including last month’s flu outbreak at a New Castle County prison and the 2014 outbreak of whooping cough, mainly in Kent County. What would happen in this country if our vaccination rates dropped further or we stopped vaccinating? We would find ourselves battling diseases long thought eliminated or under control. In the early to mid-20th century, polio was one of the most feared childhood diseases in the US. In 1952, the worst outbreak in U.S. history resulted in 50,000 cases of polio, with more than 21,000 individuals...