Vaccinations Still Save Lives

As the United States government continues to grow more untrustworthy and dependable, the lives being put in danger by both action and inaction grow as well. Most Americans were not aware that we were helping to keep diseases at bay by funding vaccination efforts around the world. As most of those programs have been cut or had their funding frozen, the specter of outbreaks of major diseases spreads both at home and around the world.

Domestically, the outbreak of measles continues to grow, showing that the rate of unvaccinated children may be as low as 71%. Measles cases in Kansas doubled to 20 in the past week. Ohio is now up to 10. With the number of cases continuing to grow, a grim prospect becomes a reality: herd immunity may not be possible.

Measles has not been a problem for several years as the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine (MMR) is required by most school districts before a child enrolls. CDC numbers for this current year, however, show that only 93 percent of kindergarten students were vaccinated. 95% vaccination is required to keep a classroom population safe.

We’ve forgotten that measles is one of the most contagious diseases known in the medical world. All it takes is a cough, a sneeze, or just breathing infected air, and everyone in the room is suddenly at risk. Within a few weeks of exposure, those who are infected may develop a high fever, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes. Within a few days, a telltale rash breaks out, first as flat, red spots on the face and then spreading down the neck and the torso to the rest of the body. The rash can itch and hurt and may lead to scarring.

The infection can also lead to brain swelling, which can cause lasting damage, including blindness, deafness, and intellectual disabilities. For every 1,000 children who contract measles, one or two will die, according to the C.D.C. One child has already died in Texas from the disease this year. Even the child’s parents didn’t seem to mind too terribly much.

Such ignorant callousness is part of what propelled President Felonious Punk into office. Few Americans still remember what a measles outbreak is like or have ever had the disease. Because life-threatening infections are not a daily part of our lives, our arrogance leads us to think that disease isn’t a problem anywhere else and, even if it is, we don’t have to worry about it and shouldn’t be paying for anyone else’s medical care.

That attitude could be about to get us, and the rest of the world, into more trouble that we realize. A new study published in The Lancet HIV conducted by the Burnet Institute and WHO highlights the potential impact of international funding cuts on the global HIV response. The research underscores the urgent need for sustained financial support to prevent millions of new HIV infections and deaths in the coming years.

The study, which analysed data from 26 countries, found that if international support declines, an additional 4.43 to 10.75 million new HIV infections – including up to 880,000 in children – could occur by 2030. In the same period, 770,000 to 2.93 million more people could die from HIV-related causes, with up to 120,000 of these deaths affecting children.

Again, younger Americans likely don’t remember the fear that accompanied the 1980s outbreak of AIDS before there was any reliable treatment against the disease. Anyone who was diagnosed, regardless of their age or the availability of medical care, died. But before they died, they were subject to severe social abandonment. Fear of the disease spreading through casual contact caused many public places, such as schools, to prohibit the presence of anyone who might have the disease.

Today, AIDS is a highly treatable, largely manageable disease. Numbers for 2024 are not available yet, but in 2023, only a little over 600,000 people died globally. To have that risk rise to over ten million is enough to cause anyone to gasp. It all comes down to funding.

Dr Meg Doherty, Director of WHO’s Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programmes, emphasized the importance of international collaboration and investment in maintaining progress against HIV. “This study is a stark reminder that international cooperation and funding are essential to sustain the advances we’ve made in HIV prevention and treatment, as well as in developing innovative products that save lives.”

HIV service disruptions that have resulted from funding challenges in 2025 include staffing shortages, supply chain interruptions, and increased barriers to access for prevention and treatment services. As Dr Doherty stated, “It is crucial to develop innovative, country-led financing strategies and integrate HIV services into broader health systems to maintain progress and prevent avoidable suffering and deaths.”

Just how severe is the risk? It’s worse than one might think. Halting treatment causes a rapid increase in HIV viral load and a decline in CD4 cell count, leading to increased potential for HIV transmission and development of advanced HIV disease, respectively. The study found that the discontinuation of HIV treatment, in scenarios where funding cuts and suspensions continued, could lead to an additional 4.4 million new infections, even if mitigation efforts resumed treatment within two years. If the available funds were redirected from HIV testing and prevention services to maintain critical treatment for people living with HIV, an additional 1.7 million new infections by 2030 would occur, compared to the status quo scenario.

The end result is millions of dead people. Anyone thinking that US citizens wouldn’t be affected is grossly ignorant of how easily the disease spreads, even across oceans.

There is absolutely no logical reason for people to be dying of any disease for which there is an immediate and reliable vaccine. By allowing the funding of USAID and other programs to be frozen and/or redirected, we’re not just committing medical murder but our own suicide. We are not immune simply by the status of being Americans. We can and will die just like everyone else in the world.

None of this has to happen. The funding has already been approved. Our job now is to step up and make sure the funding gets where it needs to be and that more children and adults are vaccinated.