The graphs provided in the links below represent the end product of data collected from a large volume of historical sources and show disease patterns and other information from the 1800s to the present day. The graphs also show the steady decline of mortality from various diseases prior to the introduction of mass vaccination programs.
There is a great deal of evidence that the decline in infectious disease during the last century was mainly due to the introduction of basic public health measures such as provision of clean water and sewage treatment as well as to increased availability of unspoiled nutritious food, less crowded living conditions, and better personal hygiene.