By Frankie L. Trull
The fight against rubella, the deadly German measles, has finally paid off. Global health authorities say the terrible disease has been eliminated in the Americas. It's a rare dose of good news in the fight against the debilitating disease, which can cause birth defects or even fetal death if contracted by a pregnant woman.
The eradication was possible by one of modern medicine's most indispensable tools -- routine vaccination. Immunization's value has never been more apparent. Yet Americans have grown skeptical of vaccines -- and the science behind them. That has to change. Few medical innovations have saved more lives than vaccines, which may play an even larger role in the years to come.
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