There are various deadly ailments for which vaccinations are available. A report by CDC i.e. Centre of Disease Control has revealed that for many years, these vaccinations have been involved in the prevention of unlimited cases of such diseases and have saved the lives of millions of people. Everyone in this world, such as infants, old-age people, teenagers, and middle-aged people, needs to be vaccinated differently according to their age, lifestyle, health status and history of earlier vaccinations.

A few diseases and their preventive vaccinations are discussed below.

Chicken Pox – [Varicella]

Chicken-pox is basically a very common and contagious infection that is triggered by the virus known as varicella-zoster virus [VZV]. Its patients suffer from severe itching, fever, blistering rashes and fatigue.

How does it spread?

Generally, the chicken-pox is a viral disease that can affect a healthier person if he breathes in the virus from air. When anyone suffering from chicken-pox scratches their blebs, they release the virus in the air. At least 2 doses of vaccination are suggested to attain 90% efficiency for the prevention of this disease. People with weak immunity should take great care of avoiding contact with diseased patients, as they cannot get vaccinated due to their weak immune system.

Severity:

The virus of this disease can even affect vaccinated individuals. Although the severity of chicken-pox can be milder in vaccinated people, yet they get few blebs and slight fever. It’s a very common disease in the US. Reportedly around four million cases have been identified every year, with around 10600 hospitalized patients and among them, almost 100-150 patients lead to deaths.

Measles

Measles is an extremely contagious disease. It’s a viral infection that affects the whole respiratory system. It attacks the lungs and breathing vessels.

How does it spread?

Whenever any infected patient sneezed or coughs without covering their mouth, the virus of measles spreads in the air. The virus stayed up to almost 2hours on the places touched by patients. There are 90% chances of getting the infection by individuals with a weak immune system if they are surrounded by diseased people.

Severity:

If measles isn’t treated properly in its initial stages, then it can lead to pneumonia and brain swelling and in extreme cases, it can even cause death. Prior to the development of measles vaccination, in the US around 3 million people were reported to be diagnosed with measles with 48000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths every year.

Whooping Cough [Pertussis]

This is a lung’s infectious disease in which the patient suffers in breathing because of continuous coughing.

How does it spread?

It’s a bacterial infection and attacks the individuals when they breathe in the air containing pertussis bacteria. When any patient coughs or sneezes, the bacteria are released into the air and thus infect the healthier individuals.

Severity:

It’s a very serious infection and can be referred to as life-threatening. It attacks the weaker immune population, especially infants. In extreme cases, the disease can be turn out into pneumonia and slower or even stopped breathing, thus leading to death.

Flu

Flu is a very common viral infection that infects the nose, throat, and lungs.

How does it spread?

When any flu-infected person sneezes, coughs or talks the virus is transmitted into the air up to a distance of 6feet. The normal healthy people can be affected by this virus when they breathe in the infected air or by touching any infected thing and then touch their mouth or nose.

Severity

According to a survey, flu leads to the death of around 49000 Americans every year. Asthmatic or diabetic patients suffer from flu extremely and they face complications during breathing.

Shingles [Herpes Zoster]

 Shingle is a viral infection caused as a result of the HHV3 virus attack. This virus is an also called varicella-zoster-virus [VZV]. Generally, it starts with painful rashes appear on the skin with small blisters and usually remains on a specific part of the body.

How does it spread?

It’s not a contagious disease. Generally, a normal individual isn’t affected by the presence of an infected individual in surroundings, as in the case of chicken-pox. The VZV usually spreads when anyone touches the oozing blister.

Severity:

Mostly the shingles do not last more than 2-3 weeks. It usually affects  individual only once in their lifetime. According to CDC, every 1 person from the 3, is affected by shingles in the United States.

Rotavirus

As indicated by the name, the rotavirus is a viral infection that affects the bowels. It leads to serious infections in the stomach and intestine and disturbs the whole gastro-intestinal system.

How does it spread?

Generally, the virus spreads by touching the infected things, improper hygienic practices, consuming uncooked foods or drinking contaminated water.

Severity:

Among children and especially infants, the rotavirus spreads the severe diarrhea over the entire world. In extreme cases, it leads to the deaths of 5lac children every year.    

Polio

Polio is a viral infection in which muscles are affected.

How does it spread?

This virus remains in the intestines and spreads by improper hygienic conditions. When any normal person comes in contact with the faeces of an infected person, the virus is transmitted to him/her.

Severity:

In most of the cases, there are no initial symptoms for this disease and sometimes symptoms like flu appear. However, if poliovirus is not treated at the time, it can damage the brain; can cause paralysis and even death. In the 20^th century, this virus was the most devastating and dreaded disease. By the development of polio vaccination, the cases have been reduced greatly, yet it’s prevailed in many areas of the world.

Pneumococcal Disease

This is a bacterial infection that leads to a lot of ailments, such as pneumonia, blood or ear infection and meningitis. Meningitis is a disease in which the patient’s brain and spinal cord are affected.

How does it spread?

Usually, it spreads when an individual comes in contact with the patient’s saliva or mucus.

Severity:

If the disease is not treated properly then it can turn out to be fatal. People with weaker immunity, such as older than 65years age, are more prone to death by pneumonia. If this disease triggers meningitis or leads to a blood infection, then the chances of the patient’s recovery are reduced.

Tetanus [Lockjaw]

It’s a bacteria-based disease that leads to the lock-jaw, difficulty in breathing,  cramps and in extreme cases it can cause paralysis and even death.

How does it spread?

The tetanus bacteria are usually present in soil, manure or dust particles. It can infect the individual by any cut on their body or by open sores.

Severity:

Globally around 10 or 20% of the tetanus patients face death. People above 60 years of age and diabetic patients are more prone to death by tetanus.

Meningococcal Disease

It’s a bacterial infection that triggers meningitis in which the brain and spinal-cord are infected. In some cases, it also causes blood infection.

How does it spread?

This disease is spread by the bacteria that stay in the backside of the patient’s throat and nose. It can be transmitted either by kissing an infected person or by living with them. The initial symptoms appear in the form of fever, headache or stiff neck. It is best to get yourself checked up by the doctor and start the treatment as soon as possible.

Severity:

Annually, around 1000 to 1200 cases of meningococcal disease are reported in the United States. Despite getting the antibiotic treatment, approximately 15% of patients die every year.

Hepatitis B

The hepatitis B is a viral disease that affects the liver of the patient.

How does it spread?

The virus is present in the blood and other body fluids of hepatitis B patients. It may be spread in adults during sex and by sharing the needles. It can be transmitted to a baby by pregnant women. This  is around 100X highly infectious than HIV. The HIV disease, which leads to AIDS.

Severity:

It causes chronic liver infections and can leads to liver cancer in severe cases. If it’s not treated on time, then it can be fatal.

Mumps

A viral infection that causes the swelling of salivary glands in patients, triggers high fever, body pain and left the body tired all the time. It also reduces the appetite of the infected person.

How does it spread?

It also spreads by breathing in the air infected by the virus. The virus is transmitted into the air during coughing or sneezing of any infected person.

Severity:

In extreme cases, the mumps can be turned into meningitis. It can leads to chronic health diseases such as deafness or even the sterility in men. By the development of MMR vaccinations, the mumps has become a rare disease in United States. However some outbreaks happen among people living in dormitories.

HIB [Haemophilic Influenza Type B]

It’s a severe bacterial infection that infects the brain, spinal-cord, bones, lungs, blood, and joints.

How does it spread?

Sometimes the people have Hib bacteria in nose or throats, however, they are not sick. But when such people sneezes or coughs, the bacteria transmitted into the air. Weakened immunity individuals such as infants and children are at higher risk of being infected.

Severity:

In United States, prior to the development of Hib vaccination around 20000 children of less than 5 years-age were infected by virus annually. Among them, approximately 3 to 6% children die each year. 

Diphtheria

The disease diphtheria is caused and spread by bacteria known as Corynebacterium diphtheria.

How does it spread?

It is transmitted by air. When infected individual coughs or sneeze in the air, the bacteria is transmitted into the air and thus it infects the healthy individual that breathes in this infected air.

Severity:

Once a healthy individual breathes in the infected air, the bacteria  harmful toxins in the bloodstream and causes the formation of thicker, grey layers in the body. In severe cases, the toxins cause damage to sensitive body organs such as the heart, kidneys, and brain. It can lead to severe fatal complications, i.e. myocarditis, heart  inflammation, kidney failure or paralysis.

HPV

HPV is the abbreviation of human papilloma-virus. This is the most common infection which is transmitted during sex. Generally, the HPV is harmless and doesn’t need any treatment. However, in some cases, it can lead to provoke cancer or genital warts in infected persons.  

How does it spread?

Usually, the HPV is transmitted via skin to skin sexual contact with  infected individual. A normal individual can get the virus during sexual contact or when the vagina, penis or cervix comes in contact with an infected person’s genital organs or mouth. The virus can be transmitted even if the penis does not penetrate the vagina, mouth or anus.

Severity:

Up till now, no vaccination has been developed for HPV and it grows and spreads on its own. In most cases, the highly risked HPV is treated immediately before it turns out into cancer. Therefore the regular check-ups are suggested for Pap and HPV.

Rubella [German Measles]

This is commonly a measles infection that lasts up to 3 days and infects the skin and lymph nodes and leads to high fever. It is different from measles as it is spread by the rubella virus.

How does it spread?

This is a highly contagious disease, which spreads from one individual to the other when they come in contact with droplets released by infected individual’s cough or sneeze. Anyone can get the German measles if he touches any infected thing and then touches his mouth, eyes or nose. It can also be transmitted by sharing food or beverages with infected persons.

Severity:

In the US, the rubella virus has become rare after the discovery of vaccination that usually prevents the vaccinated person from getting the rubella virus throughout his life. Mostly the vaccination is injected to infants at the age of 12 to 15 months and the vaccination is again given to them at the age of 2 to 4 years. Although the vaccination exhibits no harmful effects, yet a few people can get severe reactions when they are vaccinated. The vaccine is not suggested for weakened immunity people, such as pregnant women or suffering from any sickness.