Vaccination greatly reduces the burden of infectious diseases.
Only clean water rivals vaccines at reducing infectious diseases and deaths 1. Immunisation has the potential to prevent 6 million deaths worldwide each year 2.

01

Vaccination greatly reduces the burden of infectious diseases1.

Vaccination greatly reduces the burden of infectious diseases1. Vaccination has resulted in dramatic falls in rates of many vaccine preventable diseases in the UK.

Polio

100%

Reduction3
Measles

99%

Reduction4

Disease reduction following NHS vaccination.

Vaccine first introduced to NHS5

Only clean water rivals vaccines at reducing infectious diseases and deaths.
Immunisation has the potential to prevent 6 million deaths worldwide each year2.

02

Vaccines save lives and prevent disability1,2.

Invasive meningococcal disease

Invasive pneumococcal disease

Meningococcal and pneumococcal disease 12,13...

  • Can cause septicaemia and meningitis
  • Can kill

20-25% of survivors of invasiv disease have permanent effects including...

  • Limb amputations
  • Brain damage
  • Hearing loss

The NHS offers vaccination against strains of meningococcus and pneumococcus to specific age groups.

03

Vaccines help people with serious and long-term conditions to stay healthy14,15

Vaccines target specific diseases but can also have additional health benefits.

A person with cancer may be more at risk of catching flu and more likely to become very ill.14

In a US study, an elderly population vaccinated against influenza had approx 20% less chance of being hospitalised for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease than an elderly unvaccinated population15.

04

Vaccines contribute to a healthier society16,17.

Vaccination can help the global fight against antibiotic resistance16.


Improving uptake of vaccination is part of the UK’s anti-microbial resistance strategy18.
05

The UK has long recognised vaccination as a public health priority5,19.

1948

NHS vaccination against 2 infectious diseases19

2018

NHS vaccination against 20 infectious diseases20

With the development of new vaccines, the NHS immunisation programme has expanded to offer protection against many infectious diseases to specific age groups and those most at risk from infection or complications5,20.

References

Date of preparation: June 2018

  1. Andre FE et al. Vaccination greatly reduces disease, disability death and inequity worldwide. Bulletin of World Health Organisation 2008;86:81-160.

  2. Ehreth J. The global value of vaccination. Vaccine 2003;21:596-600.

  3. Public Health England. Polio: The Green Book Chapter 26, January 2013. 
    Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/148141/Green-Book-Chapter-26-Polio-updated-18-January-2013.pdf
    Last accessed June 2018

  4. Public Health England. Measles notifications and deaths in England and Wales 1940-2016.
    Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-deaths-by-age-group-from-1980-to-2013-onsdata/measles-notifications-and-deaths-in-england-and-wales1940-to-2013 
    Last accessed June 2018

  5. Public Health England. Historical vaccine development and introduction of routine vaccine programmes in the UK.
    Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaccination-timeline 
    Last accessed June 2018

  6. Public Health England. Pertussis notifications and deaths, England and Wales 1940-2015.
    Available at: https://assetspublishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/521438/Table_6_Pertussis_notifications_and_deaths__E_W__1940_-_2015.pdf
    Last accessed June 2018

  7. Public Health England. Laboratory reports of Haemophilus influenzae infection by serotype and year, England 1990-2014.
    Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/407090/Laboratory_reports_of_Haemophilus_influenzae_infection_by_serotype_and_year_England_1990_to_2014.pdf
    Last accessed June 2018

  8. Public Health England. Invasive meningococcal infections laboratory reports in England by capsular group and epidemiological year, 1998/1999-2016/2017.
    Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/663782/Table1_invasive_meningococcal_infections_lab_reports_England_by_capsulargroup_epiyear.pdf
    Last accessed June 2018

  9. Waight, P et al. Effect of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on invasive pneumococcal disease in England and Wales 4 years after its introduction: an observational cohort study. Lancet Infect Dis 2015; 15: 535–43.

  10. Atchison, J et al: Rapid declines in rotavirus infection and acute gastroenteritis in vaccinated and unvaccinated age groups within one year of rotavirus vaccine introduction in England and Wales. Journal of Infectious Disease 2015. Jul 30 2015.

  11. Amirthalingam, G., et al. Evaluation of the effect of the herpes zoster vaccination programme 3 years after its introduction in England: a population-based study. Lancet Public Health. 2017 Dec 21. pii: S2468-2667(17)30234-7. doi: 10.1016/S2468- 2667(17)30234-7. [Epub ahead of print].

  12. University of Oxford Vaccine Knowledge Project. Meningococcal disease.
    Available at: http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/meningococcal-disease 
    Last accessed June 2018

  13. University of Oxford Vaccine Knowledge Project. Pneumococcal disease.
    Available at: http://vk.ovg.ox.ac.uk/pneumococcal-disease 
    Last accessed June 2018

  14. Cancer Research UK. Flu vaccine and cancer treatment. Last updated May 2018.
    Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/cancer-drugs/flu-vaccine 
    Last accessed June 2018

  15. Nichol KL et al. Influenza vaccination and reduction in hospitalizations for cardiac disease and stroke among the elderly. N Engl J Med 2003;348:1322-1332. 

  16. O’Neill J. Vaccines and alternative approaches; reducing our dependence on antimicrobials. February 2016. The review on antimicrobial resistance chaired by Jim O’Neill.

  17. Greenwood B. The contribution of vaccines to global health: past,present and future. Phil Trans Roy Soc B 2014;369:20130433.

  18. Department of Health and Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: July 2013:UK Five Year Anti-microbial Resistance Strategy 2013-2018, Chapter 5.
    Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-5-year-antimicrobial-resistance-strategy-2013-to-2018 
    Last accessed June 2018

  19. Department of Health: Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2007, Chapter 5.
    Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130105101845/http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_086193.pdf
    Last accessed June 2018

  20. NHS Choices: Vaccinations, 2018.
    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/?tabname=nhs-vaccination-schedule 
    Last accessed June 2018

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