A few days after her birthday, Mississippi’s Bertha Vickers killed two deer in one shot (“101-year-old woman, avid deer hunter, bags 2 with 1 shot,” Jan. 19, 2019, TribLIVE), then cleaned, prepared and shared her belated present with her family.
A century ago, the average life span was only 49. With the implementation of vaccines that combat serious illnesses, especially protecting children, the average life span in the United States has increased to almost 80.
Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance (gavi.org), an international partnership, aids in delivering vaccines to children in developing countries. I call on my senators, Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, and my representative, Mike Doyle, to support funding for Gavi so that children in developing countries can also live longer.
Sarah Vizzeswarapu
Oakland
The writer is a junior economics major at the University of Pittsburgh.