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Vaccines & Preventable Diseases

Protecting Families, Protecting Florida

Vaccines you can schedule at Lee Health

Learn about the vaccines protecting Florida families from preventable diseases.

Why are vaccines important?

Vaccines are important because they protect our bodies from preventable diseases. When a high enough percentage of people in our community are vaccinated, it makes it hard for a contagious person to cause widespread disease. But when vaccination rates are too low, preventable diseases spread among the unvaccinated, people with weakened immune systems, and people who can't be vaccinated because of their age or rare health conditions.

A clear way to visualize why vaccines are important is to look at the decline in cases of diseases we vaccinate against:

Comparison of 20th Century Annual Morbidity and Current Morbidity: Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Disease

20th Century Annual Morbidity†

2023 Reported Cases††

Percentage Decrease

Smallpox

29,005

0

100%

Diphtheria

21,053

2

>99%

Measles

530,217

47

>99%

Mumps

162,344

429

>99%

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

200,752

5,611

97%

Polio (paralytic)

16,316

0

100%

Rubella

47,745

3

>99%

Congenital Rubella Syndrome

152

0

100%

Tetanus

580

15

97%

Haemophilus influenzae

20,000

27*

>99%

† JAMA. 2007;298(18):2155-2163 † † CDC. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, Weekly Tables of Infectious Disease Data. Atlanta, GA. CDC Division of Health Informatics and Surveillance. Available at: Weekly statistics from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS). (cdc.gov). Data submitted through Dec 31, 2023; accessed on Jan 24, 2024; diphtheria and polio case counts reported by CDC Program. * Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) < 5 years of age. An additional 12 cases of Hib are estimated to have occurred among the 257 notifications of Haemophilus influenzae (< 5 years of age) with unknown serotype.
Chart Source: National Center for Immunization & Respiratory Diseases, 02/14/2024

While vaccines may not always offer 100% protection against illnesses, their effectiveness is so high that they prevent most people from getting very ill and spreading the disease. When fewer people in our community get sick, we have fewer preventable deaths!

Check out our locations list and contact your local Lee Pharmacy. We're here for you!

Schedule Vaccination

Protect yourself and your community from preventable diseases!