This Program Needs a Shot in the Arm

If President Bush’s grandchildren can be vaccinated, every child--black, white, Asian, Latino, American Indian, all the children across America--can also be vaccinated. That is the sentiment of a Bush appointee, U.S. Surgeon General Antonia Novello. She is determined, with the help of federal funds and a broad public/private partnership led by the Hollywood-based Children’s Action Network, to encourage immunization against childhood diseases.

These contagious illnesses are easily prevented if children get the proper vaccines by the time they are 2 years old. But, as the recent and deadly measles epidemic indicated, perhaps only half of preschoolers are fully vaccinated. Poor children--especially Latino and black youngsters--are at the greatest risk.

Novello, a pediatrician, cites cost as a major barrier. A growing number of children have either no health insurance or have traditional coverage that does not pay for preventive care. She also calls for greater public information, more evening and Saturday clinics for working mothers and a plan to prevent missed opportunities.

Universal immunization could cost as much as $336 million, according to the American Academy of Pediatricians. The Bush Administration has requested $258 million--an admirable increase over past funding levels for public programs. The Senate has earmarked $278 million; the House, $298 million.

The final figure should come as close as politically possible to the cost of universal protection. Every $1 spent on immunization can save $14 in future medical costs.

There were more than 26,000 cases of measles in the United States last year, some of them fatal.

“Vaccinate. Before it’s too late,” is the message being promoted during National Immunization Week by the Children’s Action Network. According to the surgeon general, it’s a birthright.