From the National Library of Medicine: “During the 1950s an annual average of greater than 500,000 cases of measles and nearly 500 deaths due to measles were reported in the United States. Surveys indicated that 95% of the population had been infected with measles by the age of 15 years. The introduction of measles vaccine and its widespread use, which began in 1963, has had a major impact on the occurrence of measles in the United States.”
I think that the collective memory has forgotten how very serious the childhood diseases can be. I think we have also lost our sense of working together for the good of the community.
I grew up before inoculations against the childhood diseases were available. Most of us children experienced those diseases, and it was hoped that you would contract the disease as a child so that you had your immunity before adulthood. Children endure the childhood diseases better than adults.
When I was five years old, I came down with the measles on the same day that my maternal grandmother, Nina Portfors, passed away. My mother was with family at the hospital on that day, so I was left at home in my dad’s care. Perhaps I hadn’t been feeling well because I was sitting on the bed in the front bedroom when Daddy came in and told me that Grandma had died. He also told me that I had to stay in bed because I had the measles. It was news to me. How did he know?
Once Mother was home, she called Dr. Pappenhagen, who subsequently made a house call. (Yes, I can remember when the local doctor made house calls.) “I’ll have to see more spots than this before I’ll call it measles,” he said. The next morning, Mother called Dr. Pappenhagen again. “You wanted to see more spots,” she said. “Well, I have them.” I don’t recall that the good doctor came again. I think he took her word for it. And any instructions for my care would have been very general. Medicine could do very little for us.
After that, I was feverish and delirious. I remember my poor mother coming and going from my bedside to attend to my needs. It had to have been a stressful time for her because the family had many out-of-town visitors for Grandma’s funeral. The household was abuzz with activity, and I was missing out!
Well, measles is just one example, of course, but it was not to be taken lightly. I remember one of my elementary teachers telling us that if we had measles, we should stay in bed in a darkened room and not try to read. Measles can cause blindness.
For my children (c. 1980), inoculation was the order of the day. If you didn’t have your children immunized, if you were even granted an exemption, your peers looked at you with derision. It was un-American and all but illegal not to protect your children and by extension, your community. I figured out that if I followed the immunization schedule for my babies, we would finish before they were old enough to put up much of a fuss. And then there was the booster when they started kindergarten. And as they entered junior high, each kid came home from school and reminded me that they needed a booster. They didn’t balk, and neither did I. (I add here that chicken pox vaccine was not available for my children. They all had the actual disease.)
As an adult, I’ve had Covid shots and boosters as recommended. Once I had a Covid booster and a flu shot at the same time, and that proved to be a bad idea. I had a reaction and passed out at the supper table. I won’t do that again. And four years ago, before I went to help with Baby Silas, I was immunized against whooping cough for his protection. KW
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