Editors note: In an op-ed that appears in The Hill, CEO and president of PATH, Steve Davis, shares his views on why we need to make a global commitment for the safe, continued, and expanded use of vaccines to protect children here and overseas. Following is an excerpt:
Every parent wants the best for their child
A trip to Disneyland is supposed to be a dream come true for a child. But in December, “The Happiest Place on Earth” became the epicenter of a measles outbreak that has infected 67 people to date, including young children. This latest outbreak has drawn attention to the fact that the anti-vaccination movement in the United States is putting people of all ages at risk of highly contagious diseases like measles, which had previously been eliminated here.
We know that vaccines are one of the most cost-effective ways to save lives and support development. We also know—and saw with searing clarity this fall with Ebola—that disease knows no borders. For these reasons, the US has a dual obligation. We must focus not only on urging the vaccinations necessary to protect our own children from infectious disease, but continue to do our part to ensure preventable diseases like measles are controlled or stomped out everywhere.
An infant who just received a vaccine against polio. Photo: PATH/Gabe Bienczycki.
But the current measles outbreak proves once again that the successes we have achieved in the US and abroad will take ongoing effort and commitment to sustain. The world we live in is increasingly complex and interdependent. To protect our gains, we must make a global commitment to the safe, continued, and expanded use of vaccines.
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