FY17 Polio Appropriations

Around the world, a child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine-preventable disease. Although these children in other countries are thousands of miles away, it is in our national interest to prevent infectious diseases abroad in order to protect Americans from epidemics at home. Fortunately, investing in vaccines and immunization programs is not only the smart thing to do; it’s cost effective. Every dollar invested in these programs saves $16 in avoided healthcare costs and increased worker productivity.

Polio once plagued the world and paralyzed tens of
thousands of Americans before the polio vaccine was introduced in 1955.
Thanks in part to strong U.S. government investments and collaboration with the
United Nations and international partners, low-level transmission of polio now
remains in only three countries in the world – down from 125 countries
in the 1980s.

Success Stories in the Fight to End Polio for Good

In the 1980s, polio still paralyzed more than 350,000 children per year; in 2016, only a few dozen cases of wild poliovirus have been reported in three countries – Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. That’s a 99.9% decrease.

Much of this progress can be attributed to the fact that 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated against polio since 2000, with private and public sector actors working together under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). GPEI funds over 150,000 health workers in over 70 countries, many working on

multiple aspects of child health.

Polio eradication efforts have generated $27 billion in savings, plus $17 billion in

savings due to the integration of nutrition programming into vaccination
campaigns.

Timing + Appropriations

Given all that is at stake, now is the time for U.S. legislators to prioritize robust funding
for vaccination programs, particularly related to polio eradication. In July, legislators passed strong appropriations bills funding Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, USAID, and CDC’s polio eradication efforts. Now, it’s up to both chambers to send a comprehensive bill to the President to sign into law.
During this election season, I encourage you to act on something we can all
agree upon: increasing access to vaccines that will prevent needless death and
suffering among the world’s most vulnerable children. Call Senator Lamar
Alexander, Senator Bob Corker, and your U.S. Representative's offices and tell
them that funding for global vaccine programs matter. We all have a stake in the outcome.