Say "ahhh".Politicians are known for kissing babies for photo ops, but Mexican President Vicente Fox takes it a step further by personally providing an oral vaccine to a small girl in Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi . Fox's government has provided millions of doses so far. That's money well spent, because the cost of treating disease is much higher. The Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with 100 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System. estimates that treating congenital rubella syndrome congenital rubella syndrome A malformation complex in a fetus infected in utero with rubella; the defects reflect the embryologic stage at the time of infection, with developmental arrest affecting all 3 embryonal layers, inhibiting mitosis, causing delayed and costs 13 times more than to prevent it with vaccines. In the English-speaking Caribbean alone, for example, it would cost US$4 million to vaccinate vac·ci·nate v. To inoculate with a vaccine in order to produce immunity to an infectious disease such as diphtheria or typhus. vac compared to more than $50 million to treat it later. Adequate healthcare spending should not be a luxury--it's a crucial investment for countries, economies and employers. MARIO GUZMAN/EPA * MEXICO CITY, MEXICO |
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