Vaccines: Importance goes beyond coronavirus

It seems like everyone is becoming a vaccine expert these days, especially when it comes to developing a vaccine for COVID-19.

As dire as the need is for that vaccine, we shouldn’t lose sight of those that are readily available. Imagine fighting this battle on two fronts: COVID and measles. Now imagine you’re in a developing nation in Africa or Southeast Asia, and that battle could become all too real.

Vaccinations funded in part by the U.S. save about 2.5 million children a year, and partnerships forged with UNICEF, WHO, the CDC and GAVI The Vaccine Alliance are crucial in preventing outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio.

More importantly, the work these organizations have done pioneering new vaccines will be critical to create and deliver a COVID vaccine.

The total budget for programs to eliminate measles, eradicate polio and fund GAVI is $711 million. Considering we’ve spent over $2 trillion to combat COVID-19, that’s a steal.

I hope each of us will reach out to our members of Congress and ask them to fully fund global vaccine activities. It never has been more important to ensure healthy families everywhere.

This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Vaccines: Importance goes beyond coronavirus."