Chicagoans speak out to support immunization efforts

Zoom in: Pinkney is a global advocate for people with post polio syndrome, which can strike decades after contracting the disease. She recently shared her story in the Washington Post.

What she's saying: "I had polio 11 years before there was a vaccine and so I'm very concerned that vaccination rates dropped precipitously during the pandemic and many children are now way behind their shots," Pinkney, 81, tells Axios.

• Noting that an unvaccinated New York man was paralyzed in 2022 by a polio strain that may have come from Israel or the U.K., she says, "polio and other diseases can be just a plane ride away."

What's next: Chicago health officials remind that city immunization clinics provide vaccines to children up to 18 years old for no out-of-pocket costs.