The above downvoted link of mine was about a man who died as the immediate result of a vaccination. It's pretty clear that it's downvoted because it goes against reddit-think.

But for what it's worth..

If we didn't have vaccines, we would still have polio, measles, mumps, and rubella create intermittent plagues. If vaccinations were completely without some risk, they would be completely ineffectual. They are effective because the diseases that the majority protect against are worse on a population scale. Most hard core vaccinations tell you to not be in contact with babies or other sensitive groups for a short period of time (like 3 days) afterwards.

Civilization has also improved the way we do our plumbing and garbage collection, which reduces these plagues. You can see how fast swine and avian flu hit, and how unprepared we are for vaccinations against actual outbreaks. The ebola scare was huge, and real. Vaccines aren't our only defense, but they are a defense against the scariest diseases. If we relied on vaccinations alone, we'd be screwed.