MEASLES: Remembering the American Revolution

Remember from our history that George Washington had to fight to save his troops from smallpox. Washington was losing more troops to smallpox than in the battles of the Revolutionary War. He was the first to begin mass inoculation for military troops in February 1777, after smallpox infections escalated. A small amount of live smallpox was rubbed into a wound, inserted into a small incision in the arm or scratched into the skin.  

Today, we no longer live with smallpox because we were able to eradicate it through vaccination. But we are seeing the effects of measles outbreaks in the U.S. and in other countries.   

Measles can be deadly or lead to hearing loss, blindness, encephalitis, or pneumonia, yet many people are unvaccinated. In 2025 alone, we have had three outbreaks affecting 12 states, with 222 cases and counting. The vast majority of those affected are unvaccinated, while some only received one dose of the vaccine.

If global vaccination programs could beat smallpox in 1977, through vaccination, then we can beat polio, measles, malaria and other fatal diseases the same way. Expanding vaccine access in low-resource countries has been proven to save lives and prevent the spread of diseases — including to the U.S. Please support full funding for global childhood immunization programs for 2025-2026 by contacting Senators Risch and Crapo and Representative Fulcher.  

1.5 million children die annually from vaccine preventable disease. Full funding of global immunization programs is needed to keep America and the rest of the world safe. 

LORNA SCHUMANN 

Post Falls