There was a time, not too long ago, when virtually every child had to suffer through a swath of childhood diseases. Two of the more prominent that I remember were the mumps and measles.
I had the mumps when the family was on one of Dad's National Science Scholarship summers, and that year we were in Muncie, Indiana (or as my sister and I might call it - Mumpsie, Indiana). This was back in the early sixties. I remember it being an unpleasant nuisance, but not all that hard to get through, at least for me and my sister. You had puffy cheeks and felt bad for a few days. I even remember playing outside with them.
Not so with measles. I contracted the hard measles my Kindergarten year, and it wasn't pleasant at all. I missed over a month of school. There were some doubts as to whether I would be able to advance to the first grade. And there were some doubts as to whether I would survive. The family legend is had the measles raged just slightly longer and slightly harder, I would not have survived.
To me, the value of vaccinations that eliminate these horrible diseases is essential. I cannot imagine these scourges sweeping the nation again. And yet, apparently, some parents don't see it that way. They are willing to play measles roulette with their child, and risk infecting other children as well.
The world of medicine and pharmaceuticals is complicated and sometimes risky. Many of the corporations are motivated much more by money than in any cure. But the science on these basic vaccinations to prevent childhood diseases has long since been in. We have eradicated them, and they can stay eradicated, as long as parents don't get into their head that the diseases are worth the risk.
The measles were certainly not worth the risk for me. I am lucky to have survived. Back then, not every child was so lucky.
Please. Let's not go back to that time.
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