Is the fall in disease due to a healthier lifestyle?
While death rates from all illnesses fell with improved sanitation and health care, the actual rates of catching each illness did not fall until vaccination was introduced.
For example, before HIB vaccination was introduced in 1993, about 500 Australian children would have serious infections a year with 10-15 deaths and 60-120 cases of permanent disability. With no significant change in our standard of living, the rate has declined, with 74 cases in 1995 and 30 cases in 2000.
In the health conscious Northern Rivers, there were 341 cases of whooping cough in 2001. This represented 7.66% of the recorded cases of whooping cough in NSW for a region with only 2.47% of the population.
For further information and references see Why vaccinate? article
