The miracle of vaccines
It was 3 a.m. when the call came in. Four-year-old Carol Ann could be heard in the background with the telltale stridor of haemophilus influenzae epiglottitis, a swelling at the base of the tongue which can close off the breathing tube. She had only minutes to make it to the emergency room, where an external breathing tube could be placed to bypass the swelling and save her life. Fortunately, she arrived in time. Also fortunately, that was the last time I saw a case of haemophilus epiglottitis, thanks to a vaccine which was developed shortly thereafter.
As a Pediatrician in the 1960s, I watched many serious infectious diseases be eradicated through the development of vaccines. Pediatrics was changed from an inpatient to a mostly outpatient specialty. Many hospitals closed their pediatric floors for lack of patients to fill beds.
We now face an impending crisis. To protect from these vaccine preventable diseases, 95 percent of people need to be vaccinated, and Maine is falling behind at a 5.6 percent opt out rate. Some communities are even at 15 percent. This year the legislature passed a law making medical exemptions the only valid opt out permitted for school attendance and health care employment.
A people’s veto challenge is on the ballot in March to negate this law. If passed, preventable illnesses may tragically reappear and only then will we once again look to vaccines as the miracles they truly are.
Vote no on Question 1.
Norma Dreyfus
Arrowsic
I’m OK with the OK sign
My son just told me about OK no longer being OK. Apparently some organization has now managed to take the simple OK sign that was in use long before I was born 76 years ago and declare it as a racist symbol.
Apparently people watched the sidelines of the Army-Navy game and saw cadets make the OK sign. Some instantly declared that the cadets are racist.
Now I can still remember working with people of other races when I was in the Navy 55-plus years ago and in many jobs since. The OK sign was used in many instances when noise made an audible OK impossible to communicate. Just imagine flight deck operations without hand signals. I’m sure there are plenty of applications that have been in use for many years.
I will continue to use the OK sign where and when it is appropriate for me to use it. If anyone feels the irresistible urge to accuse me of being racist, that problem will be theirs. I refuse, at this late stage in life, to deal with people who have nothing more to do than stir trouble where there is none.
For those that interpret it as “White Power” or “White Pride,” I have a question: What are you proud of? What did you personally do to ensure that you were born a certain race or nationality or religion? As far as I can tell, we are all an accident of nature. We all live on the same planet, and we seem to be heading toward overpopulation. We had all better start getting along, or we will tear each other apart. No one will benefit from that.
Thomas Bonner
Holden
We must act to protect our children
We have the right to bear arms, but we do not have the right to have teachers, our children’s nurturers, feel they must bear arms in school. We do not have the right to kill innocent people in seconds with semi-or automatic weapons. We do not have the right to have parents feel it necessary to buy bulletproof backpacks or hoodies for their children.
We do, however, have the right to act.
Let’s start here in Maine. We adults need to step up and dedicate ourselves to protect innocent people and our most important investment — our children.
Can there be a more tragic event then losing a child to violence? Why are universal background checks, or a ban on semi-automatic or automatic weapons, not acceptable?
Somehow we have to find an answer before it’s too late.
Marilyn C. Kenyon
Albion