HSHS CEO on vaccines: Americans, we are right to believe in them

Nearly 8 in 10 U.S. adults in a recent Harvard/SSRS poll said parents should be required to have children vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles, mumps and rubella to attend school — including most Democrats and Republicans. And about 7 in 10 U.S. adults in a New York Times/Ipsos poll said healthy children should be required to be vaccinated because of the risk to others.

Throughout time, I can think of few innovations that have affected the arc of human health as profoundly as vaccines. From the eradication of smallpox to the containment of polio and the global fight against COVID-19, vaccines have consistently proven to be one of the most effective tools in preventing disease, saving lives and protecting our most vulnerable populations. For example:

• In the late 18th century, Edward Jenner, an English physician, discovered that exposure to cowpox could help us fight against smallpox — a disease that, up until that point, had killed millions. This breakthrough set the stage for modern immunology to flourish. By 1980, the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated. This watershed moment marked the first time a disease was eliminated through human intervention. 
• Polio, once a global scourge that paralyzed thousands of children annually and even former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is near extinction thanks to persistent vaccination efforts. 
• Other deadly diseases such as whooping cough, tetanus, measles and diphtheria — more common just a few generations ago — are thankfully unknown to many of our children and a fading memory for many older adults.

In my opinion, vaccines do more than protect individuals. They create herd immunity, thereby shielding those who cannot be vaccinated due to legitimate concerns like their age or preexisting medical conditions. 

In more recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical role of vaccines. I am thankful to scientists who, within a year of the virus’ emergence, developed multiple safe and effective vaccines, saving a countless number of lives and enabling our society to reopen and stay open. At this point, it seems irrefutable that there were many unintended and harmful consequences that came from closing our churches, schools and hospitals prior to vaccines making it safe to be in public again.

Yet, despite their proven benefits, vaccines still face isolated skepticism and conspiratorial misinformation. It is essential to remember that vaccines are a lifeline and have an important role in public health. Vaccines have stood the test of time to help humanity avoid harmful outcomes of infectious diseases, and they continue to play a critical role. Their true value is in the lives saved, suffering prevented and hope they continue to inspire in those who work tirelessly and endlessly on finding new cures. 

In closing, vaccines represent our commitment to protecting one another — especially those who cannot protect themselves. They are a testament to decades of research, global collaboration and society’s support believing in the power of God and science. The two are not mutually exclusive beliefs. Supporting vaccination is less about ideology and more about a shared responsibility to each other. We are right to believe in them now, and moving forward, to contribute to a healthier future.

Damond W. Boatwright is president and CEO of Hospital Sisters Health System, a Catholic nonprofit with 13 hospitals and 130 care sites in Illinois and Wisconsin.

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