Recently I read an editorial in the Tribune, "Vaccinations shouldn't be unaffordable." I couldn't agree more with it.

Children should have access to the best health care available. Ensuring they receive inoculation against deadly diseases should be a priority. If federal funding is not available, our large state budget surplus should be utilized for this cause.

On a personal level, I had measles, mumps and chickenpox when I was small. I lived through the polio period before the Salk vaccine and had friends who were permanently harmed by that disease.

Also, smallpox wiped out American Indian villages in the 1800s, and tuberculosis sent many to sanitariums in the early 1900s.

That was in a different time.

Thanks to access to vaccines, we don't see these sorts of widespread outbreaks and epidemics. We have talented folks using new research techniques who have developed vaccines to prevent the past from happening again.

The least we can do is make them available to all, not just those who have insurance to pay for them. We have the money, and the required amount should go to the health department now. Our kids need to be healthy to learn, and we can help them along by providing vaccines.

It also seems to me that if the Legislature requires certain vaccines for entry into K-12 and higher education, we should share in the expense of it. In the long run, we'll have a healthier society. Healthy children ensure a strong future for one of North Dakota's most important resources: its youth.

(Nelson, a Democrat, represents a Fargo district in the North Dakota Senate. - Editor)