$278 million

Savings in health care costs since the 2006 introduction of routine vaccination against rotavirus, a leading cause of diarrhea in infants and young children. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that nearly 65,000 fewer American children have been hospitalized since routine vaccination was instituted. Compared with unvaccinated children, those who received the rotavirus vaccine had 89% fewer rotavirus-specific hospitalizations, 48% fewer ER visits and 12% fewer visits to the doctor's office. Before the vaccine was introduced, the virus was responsible for about 200,000 ER visits and 400,000 physician office visits a year. [via USA Today]