#6

Here at Penn, we are currently in a “Swine-flu crisis”. How could it have been prevented? Is there any solution to reducing the hospital costs for treating H1N1 patients? Every time I hear the world influenza, I immediately think of “vaccine”. Could the H1N1 outbreak have been prevented if a vaccine existed sooner rather than months after the initial scare?

In my opinion, the United States is not spending enough in vaccine research. While the initial cost of developing, testing, and researching vaccines may seem high at first, but when looking at the after-effects of having a wide array of vaccines readily available, the pros outweigh the cons. Think of how many lives vaccines have saved from polio, measles, influenza, hepatitis, cervical cancer, and smallpox.

The potential that vaccines hold is astonishing; they not only save lives but also save money. Vaccines have made the United States a healthier country overall. When comparing America to countries with little access to vaccines there is an obvious difference in the life expectancy. With vaccines, residents can live productive, healthy lives without ever having to visit a hospital to get cured of infectious diseases.