To the editor:

While those of us in Canada engage in silly arguments about whether to vaccinate or not, in 2017 vaccines saved between two and three million lives around the world. Polio, that once great destroyer of human potential, has been reduced to just 22 new cases.

Despite this achievement, over 19 million children around the world are still not receiving routine vaccinations, and the consequence of this falls disproportionately on women, who are the primary caregivers for the ill.

In the 2018 federal budget, the government reiterated its commitment to the empowerment and equality of women and girls around the world. Vaccines disproportionately aid women by freeing them from caring for the sick to work to improve their own lives and those within their community.

Canada can help these women by ensuring their children get the vaccines they need.

Anita Mark

Saanich