[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 61 (Thursday, April 26, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E661-E662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WORLD IMMUNIZATION WEEK: PREVENTING PNEUMONIA AND DIARRHEA WITH THE 
                           POWER OF VACCINES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 26, 2012

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, this week marks World Immunization Week, 
in which countries across the globe mobilize for a week of vaccination 
campaigns and public education about the value of immunization. I rise 
today to celebrate a major milestone in global health: the rollout of 
two new vaccines to protect infants from two of the biggest killers of 
children under the age of five--pneumonia and diarrhea--that is taking 
place today in Ghana.
  Hundreds of Ghanaians have played a frontline role in making their 
country the first in Africa to simultaneously introduce both 
pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines to their people. While the 
Government and the people of Ghana are to be congratulated for this 
unprecedented accomplishment, I also want to acknowledge the role U.S. 
taxpayers have played in making this moment possible.
  The United States' commitment to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and 
Immunization (GAVI Alliance) has been instrumental in making these 
vaccines affordable and accessible for children in the world's poorest 
countries. Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-
effective public health interventions. By supporting new vaccines, the 
GAVI Alliance is well within target to immunize more than 250 million 
children in the world's poorest countries by 2015, preventing more than 
4 million premature deaths.
  Seattle, which I represent, has made significant contributions toward 
the United States becoming a leader in global health innovation, 
including vaccination research. For example, earlier this year, 
promising preliminary results from the trial of a malaria vaccine known 
as RTS,S made headlines around the world when it showed that nearly 
fifty percent of children who received the vaccine were protected from 
malaria--a leading cause of death among children in developing 
countries. The Bill and

[[Page E662]]

Melinda Gates Foundation and PATH, both based in Seattle, were at the 
forefront in developing this potentially life-saving vaccine.
  I am proud to say that American research and technology in global 
health are at the forefront in making medicine accessible to the most 
remote corners of the world. But we cannot stop here.
  U.S. bilateral support for maternal and child health provide critical 
infrastructure--including supply chains, trained health workers, and 
facilities--to deliver vaccines around the world, along with other 
essential and complementary interventions such as nutrition and clean 
water.
  Immunization leads to significant economic benefits by protecting 
individuals not just against life-threatening illnesses but against 
long-term effects of that illness on their physical, emotional and 
cognitive development. With the introduction of these vaccines, mothers 
across Ghana will be able to provide their children hope for a brighter 
future.
  On this day, while communities around the world are celebrating the 
power of lifesaving vaccines, we can be proud as Americans that our 
investments are making a durable impact on the prosperity and security 
of those who need it most.

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