VACCINES: Help world’s children

With the historic breakthrough in the malaria, the world’s children can be protected from this deadly disease that kills more than 400,000 annually. Sixty-seven percent of those deaths are in children under the age of 5.

Sub-Saharan Africa will be the first to use the vaccine. That is the good news. However, we still have work to do in conquering Polio and Measles, which are deadly to children under the age of 5. Approximately 1.5 million children die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases.

As a polio victim, I saw many children die around me. As I travel to low resource countries, I see the devastation caused by polio. We are so close to eradication of polio globally.

There are only two countries with the wild polio virus — Pakistan and Afghanistan. Recently, the Taliban agreed to give the polio vaccine to all children in Afghanistan. For every $1 spent on immunizations, the world sees $44 in economic benefits, plus the benefit of saving lives.

Strong health systems are critical to global preparedness for disease outbreaks. Stopping the disease at its source as with the COVID-19 virus would have prevented American deaths.

You can help by contacting Senator Risch, Senator Crapo and Representative Fulcher. Ask them to fund global childhood immunization programs in the federal budget. An outbreak in Wuhan has threatened the lives everywhere in the world.

LORNA SCHUMANN

Post Falls