As Thanksgiving approaches, most of us pause to appreciate the people and traditions that make our lives meaningful. But there is something else we should add to the list — something that quietly protects us every day, whether we think about it or not: vaccines. Few medical tools have done more to save lives, prevent suffering, and keep our communities functioning than the simple act of vaccination.

First, vaccines have transformed our health in ways that would have seemed impossible a century ago. Diseases that once caused fear with every new case — polio, diphtheria, measles — have been pushed to the brink of disappearance in the United States. Globally, vaccines save millions of lives each year. They prevent severe illness, long-term complications, and deaths that were once common. It’

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