Vaccines save lives—let’s ensure they continue to protect our communities.
For years, vaccines have been one of the greatest equalizers in health. They protect children in wealthy suburbs and rural towns, elders in bustling cities and quiet neighborhoods, and families of every race, faith, and background. Because of vaccines, our grandparents lived to see their grandchildren, and children grew up free from the shadow of polio and measles.
But today, that hard-earned protection is slipping away. Vaccination rates are declining; not just in faraway places, but right here at home. And when our protection weakens, diseases we thought we had defeated find a way back.
This is not about “other people’s kids” or “another neighborhood.” Outbreaks don’t ask about your ZIP code, your income, or your beliefs. They spread quickly through schools, workplaces, houses of worship, and community gatherings. A single case can lead to dozens more, putting babies, elders, and people with chronic illnesses at the highest risk.
The truth is simple: vaccines save lives, and they save them across every age group. Babies need protection before their immune systems are fully developed. Children and teens need vaccines to stay healthy, stay in school, and participate in sports and activities. Adults and older adults benefit from vaccines that prevent flu, shingles, pneumonia, and other serious conditions that can take them out of work, or worse, land them in the hospital.
Declining vaccination rates are not just a health problem. They are a fairness problem. They mean the most vulnerable among us, those who cannot get vaccinated or whose immune systems are too weak, must rely on the rest of us to do our part. Protecting them is a matter of justice, compassion, and shared responsibility.
And here’s the hopeful part: each of us has the power to close the gaps. Parents can check their children’s records and get them caught up. Adults can ask their doctor or pharmacist what vaccines they need at their age. Schools, employers, and faith communities can encourage accurate information and support vaccine access.
When we choose vaccination, we are saying yes to keeping classrooms open, yes to protecting our elders, and yes to safeguarding our collective future.
This is a moment to stand together. Declining vaccination rates anywhere put all of us at risk, but strong vaccination coverage everywhere makes all of us safer. Old diseases only come back if we let them. And I believe our communities are too strong, too smart, and too caring to allow that to happen.
Let’s hold the shield together, because every family, in every neighborhood, deserves the chance to live free from the fear of preventable disease.
#VaccinesSaveLives #PublicHealth #CommunityWellness
