VACCINES: Benefit Idaho and the world

Having polio as a child, I know firsthand the importance of vaccines.

Not many Americans have to think about deadly diseases daily. Often, we don’t even hear about dangerous disease outbreaks, thanks to CDC’s rapid international response efforts. But just because we don’t think about it, that doesn’t mean the threat is gone. Ebola, for example, is only thirty-six hour hours away—but American leadership in global health keeps it out of sight, out of mind, for everyday citizens like you and me. When Ebola surfaced in Uganda last year, the CDC and local global agencies moved quickly to help contain it before it spread. Their coordinated actions not only stopped regional spread, but also reduced the risk to the United States, showing why CDC experts are often the first called when threats emerge. This is what American-led global health security looks like. Keeping Americans safe is our #1 goal.

The benefits of global health aren’t just in containing outbreaks; they have direct implications in our own state. US global health R&D has contributed $4.6 million to Idaho’s research institutions, funding a life sciences sector that supports over 11,000 jobs. Researchers at the University of Idaho are leading on malaria research—spearheading the fight against a disease that saw 282 million cases in 2024. The relationship between global health and domestic economies goes both ways.

Ultimately, one-third of child deaths are due to vaccine-preventable diseases, posing risks within our borders and beyond. But we have a safe, cost-effective solution.

Help implement that solution by advocating for lifesaving global health programs; contact Senators Risch and Crapo and Representative Fulcher to ask for full funding of global immunization efforts.

Benefits to Idaho, benefits to the world. That’s the power of global health.

LORNA SCHUMANN
Post Falls