Immunizing N.C.

RALEIGH -- Vaccination is a major success story of the last century. When Dr. Edward Jenner created the first viable Western vaccine in 1796, his work became the basis of life and health for, quite literally, billions of people.

Jenner's vaccine protected against smallpox. He had noticed that people who worked in close contact with cattle and who had a mild form of the disease -- cowpox -- did not get smallpox. That observation allowed him to create a vaccine, and eventually led to the eradication of smallpox worldwide by 1980.

However, Jenner's brilliance couldn't have succeeded without concerted government effort to distribute what eventually resulted from his discoveries to the entire population. That's right -- a government-run "socialized" health program to immunize as many people as possible. Happily, North Carolina is a leader in immunization.

By the time they enter school, more than 97 percent of North Carolina students are fully immunized against childhood disease. This is among the best immunization rates in the country, and is a testament to how well a focus on a guaranteed, affordable and universal health initiative can work.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association detailed the effect on disease after a vaccine is put into use in the United States. For most the most serious diseases, declines of over 90 percent in hospitalization and death have resulted. Even better, smallpox, diphtheria and polio have seen a 100 percent decline.

North Carolina's Vaccines for Children program, begun with funding from the federal government in 1994, has guaranteed every child access to needed vaccines without cost. While insurance generally covers vaccination -- which only makes sense -- some cut-rate plans don't cover the full cost. Vaccines for Children steps in to make up the difference.

Is a child uninsured? Vaccines for Children will pay the full cost. Vaccines for Children also buys vaccines in bulk at significant cost savings to the state and private health care providers.

By removing cost as a barrier to delivery of this critical health service, North Carolina has saved money, simplified administration and become a national leader in immunization of children and improving their health. It's a success story that's not often talked about, and one that should prompt us to finish the job of guaranteeing affordable health coverage to all children.

Of course families should be responsible. Kids need to be taken to regular checkups; exercise and eating right need to be priorities for parents, and families should pay insurance premiums they can afford. However, no parents should be prevented from taking their child to the doctor because they can't pay the cost of a visit.

We can't accomplish this goal without the government of our state leading the way. The Vaccines for Children program provides a great example of the road to success.

(Adam Searing is project director for the N.C. Justice Center's Health Access Coalition.)