{"id":580894,"date":"2025-11-19T18:07:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/580894\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T18:07:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:07:23","slug":"vaccines-gave-us-back-our-tomorrows-were-squandering-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/580894\/","title":{"rendered":"Vaccines Gave Us Back Our Tomorrows. We\u2019re Squandering Them."},"content":{"rendered":"

Blog Article<\/p>\n

More than half a century of vaccine progress, dubbed the \u201cimmunization era,\u201d is swiftly being undone because of politics and propaganda.<\/p>\n

Published November 19, 2025<\/p>\n

By Syra Madad, D.H.Sc., M.Sc., MCP, CHEP<\/p>\n

In public health, most victories arrive quietly. No headlines mark the measles case that never happened, or the child spared from polio paralysis. But a landmark analysis<\/a> released 50 years after the Expanded Programme on Immunization gives voice to those silent triumphs: since 1974, routine immunization has saved 154 million lives and added 9 billion years of human life, making vaccines the single biggest driver of infant survival in the modern era.<\/p>\n

For those of us who have worked through outbreaks the study confirms what we already knew:\u00a0 vaccines are the closest thing we have to a time machine. They don\u2019t just prevent death in the present \u2013 they create futures, unlocking on average 66 additional years of health.<\/p>\n

Courting Amnesia<\/p>\n

As a public health and healthcare leader, I\u2019m moved by the evidence. As a mother of four, I\u2019m grounded by something simpler: peace of mind. My kids are up to date on every recommended shot. That doesn\u2019t make our family special; it makes us fortunate to live in a place and time where protection is possible.<\/p>\n

And yet we are courting amnesia.<\/p>\n

Just a couple months ago, Florida announced<\/a> plans to become the first state to ban all vaccine requirements, including for schoolchildren. Earlier this year, the United States formally withdrew<\/a> from the World Health Organization (WHO). In June, it pulled back funding<\/a> from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance that helped vaccinate a generation of children and built outbreak stockpiles for cholera, yellow fever, meningitis and Ebola. These reversals, paired with rhetoric that clouds evidence-based policy at home, are eroding the infrastructure that protects vulnerable families abroad. When the U.S. steps away, the ripple effects are felt immediately: in last-mile clinics, health workers are left to decide whether limited cold boxes hold lifesaving measles doses or nothing at all.<\/p>\n

The Impact of Preventative Services<\/p>\n

As a board member of Project HOPE, which operates in many of these communities abroad, I\u2019ve seen the consequences firsthand. When routine immunization falters, measles resurges first, then polio eradication gets harder and already strained health systems lose the \u201ctugboat\u201d that pulls in preventive services. Vaccines create the scaffolding on which stronger health systems are built, expanding capacity to tackle everything from cancer care to ensuring safe deliveries. Remove that foundation, and decades of progress can collapse almost overnight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is not an abstract budget debate. Gavi\u2019s most recent replenishment fell short<\/a> of its goal. Without U.S. support, an estimated<\/a> 75 million children will miss out on routine vaccinations and 1.2 million children in low- and middle-income countries will die over the next five years.<\/p>\n

I welcome counterarguments so long as we follow where the data leads. The world\u2019s most comprehensive modeling<\/a> shows vaccines save lives at scale across continents and generations. Since the introduction of polio vaccines in 1955, worldwide cases have dropped by over 99%<\/a> \u2013 from an estimated 350,000 cases in 1988 to just 6 reported in 2021. This massive reduction has saved millions of lives and spared countless children from lifelong paralysis.<\/p>\n

Rigorous economic analyses demonstrate that immunization pays for itself. In low- and middle-income countries, returns on investment range from roughly 16:1<\/a> to more than 26:1<\/a>, depending on how you count the benefits, a yield greater than any other health intervention.<\/p>\n

A Call to Action<\/p>\n

So here is the call, from a public health leader, a humanitarian, and a mom:<\/p>\n