Immunizations Create a Safer America and Healthier World

In 1952, during the peak of the polio epidemic in the U.S., Dr. Judy Monroe’s mother fell ill with the disease at the age of 30. In an op-ed in Morning Consult,  Dr. Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, writes about the importance of immunizations in protecting America and the world; and shares a personal story of her mother’s battle with polio, a disease that is now near eradication thanks to vaccines. 

She says, “My mother celebrated the development of the trivalent inactivated polio vaccine in 1955 and the trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine in 1963. I remember her emotion as I lined up to get vaccinated. It left an indelible mark in my memory and later gave me a great appreciation for vaccine discovery and development.”

In the op-ed which coincides with National Immunization Month in the United States, Dr. Monroe credits the development of vaccines as a powerful public health tool to prevent diseases, and urges everyone to get vaccinated. “As a public health leader and administrator, I also know that vaccine-preventable diseases remain a threat for many reasons, including a lack of access or refusal to get vaccinated. But we cannot let availability and misinformation stand in our way to doing what is right and needed.”