Cutting Through the Noise: 10 Fast Facts About Vaccines
In Washington, vaccines are one of the best tools we have to keep families healthy. They prevent serious diseases and save money too. Here are 10 important facts about why vaccines matter in our state.
Vaccines save you money
1. Kid vaccines are a smart investment. For every dollar spent on childhood vaccines, families save about $11 in medical costs. Kids born between 1994-2023 will avoid $540 billion in healthcare costs nationwide thanks to vaccines. That’s real money staying in your pocket. Source: CDC MMWR, Health and Economic Benefits of Routine Childhood Immunizations, August 2024
2. Adult vaccines are just as smart an investment. Adult vaccines are an incredible deal. Four common adult vaccines generated a 19-fold return in terms of healthcare costs. That’s better than any investment you’ll find. Source: One Health Trust, Vaccines for Adults Pay Off in Both Lives and Money
Washington makes vaccines easy to get
3. Free vaccines for all Washington kids. In Washington, all kids under 19 get vaccines for free through the Washington Vaccine Association. It doesn’t matter what insurance you have or if you don’t have any. Every child is covered. Source: Washington Vaccine Association; Washington State Department of Health
4. We double-check vaccine safety with other states. Washington teamed up with California, Nevada, and Oregon to review COVID-19 vaccines together. Our own experts looked at the science alongside federal reviewers. This gave families extra confidence in vaccine safety. Source: California Governor’s Office, 2020-2022
Vaccines really work
5. MMR vaccine almost completely prevents measles. Two MMR shots are 97% effective at stopping measles. Just one shot works 93% of the time. That’s why we had eliminated measles in America by 2000 – vaccines work that well. Source: CDC Measles Vaccination
6. Vaccines go through tough testing. Before any vaccine reaches your doctor’s office, thousands of people test it in 3 different studies. The FDA checks every single batch before it can be used. Only safe, effective vaccines make it to patients. Source: FDA Vaccine Development 101
Real examples show vaccines prevent disease
7. Vaccines wiped out polio. Vaccines have cut polio cases by 99% since 1988. Twenty million people avoided paralysis because of vaccines. We haven’t had wild polio in America since 1979. Source: CDC Global Polio Vaccination
8. The Clark County measles outbreak proved vaccines work. When measles hit Clark County in 2018-2019, 86% of the 71 people who got sick weren’t vaccinated. Only 4% had gotten one shot. The outbreak cost nearly $900,000 to control and took 19,000+ work hours to stop. Source: CDC, Clark County Public Health
We still need to stay alert
9. Vaccination rates are dropping in Washington. In kindergarten, only 87.1% of students were vaccinated this past school year. We need 95% to protect everyone. Not surprisingly, we’ve seen measles cases come back to Washington. Source: Washington Department of Health
10. We watch vaccine safety constantly. The CDC tracks 9 million Americans every year for vaccine side effects using their medical records. It’s one of the world’s best safety monitoring systems. If there’s a problem, we find it fast. Source: CDC Vaccine Safety Datalink
Your shot protects everyone
Here’s the bottom line: vaccines prevent serious diseases, save money, and protect entire communities. When you get vaccinated, you’re not just protecting yourself and your family – you’re helping keep all of Washington healthy.
Getting your shots is one of the smartest health decisions you can make.