However, the viruses and bacteria that cause vaccine-preventable disease and death still exist and can be passed on to people who are not protected by vaccines. Vaccine-preventable diseases have a costly impact, resulting in doctor visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths.
Sick children can also cause parents to lose time from work.
Polio Polio virus causes acute paralysis that can lead to permanent physical disability and even death. Development of polio vaccines and implementation of polio immunization programs have eliminated paralytic polio caused by wild polio viruses in the U.S. and the entire Western hemisphere. In 1999, as a result of global immunization efforts to eradicate the disease, there were about 5,000 documented cases of polio in the world. In 1994, wild polio virus was imported to Canada from India, but high vaccination levels prevented it from spreading in the population. Before measles immunization was available, nearly everyone in the U.S. got measles.