If we were to discontinue polio vaccination in the United States, immunity to polio would decline, leading to the risk of polio epidemics similar to those that occurred in the past. Before measles immunizations were available, nearly everyone in the United States got measles. There were about 3-4 million cases each year. An average of 450 measles-associated deaths were reported each year between 1953 and 1963. In industrialized countries, up to 20 percent of people with measles are hospitalized, and 7-9 percent suffer from complications such as pneumonia, diarrhea or ear infections.
Measles still occurs throughout the world, and is frequently imported into the United States.
In 1995, there were 1.1 million deaths worldwide from measles. If vaccinations were stopped, 2.7 million deaths could be expected. Stopping measles vaccination would probably lead to massive epidemics similar to those that occurred in the pre-vaccine era. The major cause of the outbreak was low rates of vaccination among preschool children. Before the vaccine, there were about 20,000 invasive Hib cases annually.