Letter to the editor: US must commit to a healthy world

For millions of children, immunizations can make the difference between a life of poverty and one of possibility. When kids are protected from infectious diseases, they can go to school, their parents can go to work and their communities can thrive. Over the past two decades, the world has made astounding progress immunizing children thanks in large part to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Since 2000, Gavi has helped prevent 17.3 million deaths by helping countries ensure children receive vaccines to protect them from diseases like measles, cholera, HPV, ebola and — most recently — malaria. The United States is a major supporter of Gavi; contributions from Pennsylvania alone have helped prevent over 100,000 deaths, according to an analysis from the ONE Campaign.

Make no mistake — the fight to ensure no child dies of a preventable disease is far from over. Eighty-five million children missed a routine dose during the covid-19 pandemic, driving surges of deadly but vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, which saw deaths rise by 43% between 2021 and 2022.

That’s why I’m asking Rep. Summer Lee and Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman to support no less than $340 million for Gavi in the State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025. Investing in Gavi is a strong sign of the United States’ commitment to global health security and helps leverage support we need from other donor countries to create a safer, healthier world for everyone.

Brian Thomas

Bloomfield