On May 19, 2011, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hailed vaccinations as one of 10 public health achievements of first decade of 21st century in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

One of the major findings in the report is that the United States has saved billions of dollars in healthcare costs as a result of these achievements. For instance, fortifying our foods with folic acid has resulted in a savings of over $4.6 billion over the past decade, by reducing neural tube defects in children. Continued investments will save more. For example, ensuring that all children are vaccinated with the current schedule could result in a savings of $20 billion in healthcare costs over the lifetime of those children. Preventing motor vehicle crashes could save $99 billion in medical and lost work costs annually and the economic benefit of lowering lead levels among children by preventing lead exposure is estimated at $213 billion per year.

A number of new vaccines were introduced during the first decade of the 21st century. Two of the most significant were the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, which has prevented an estimated 211,000 serious pneumococcal infections and 13,000 deaths and the rotavirus vaccine, which now prevents an estimated 40,000-60,000 rotavirus hospitalizations each year. Other achievements included record low reported cases of hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and chicken pox. A recent economic analysis indicates that vaccinating each child born in the United States in a given year with the current childhood immunization schedule could prevent approximately 42,000 deaths and 20 million cases of disease.