Public health and disease prevention matters
As a kid I won the lottery! The lottery of childhood diseases, that is. I had them all: Measles (both kinds), mumps, chickenpox and whooping cough. I especially remember the measles because I had to stay in bed in a very dark room for fear of damaging my vision. The whooping cough episode was spent on the living room couch, coughing so often and so hard that I could barely breathe. Of course this was all before we had vaccines for these common childhood diseases, and I was fortunate to have survived those bouts of illness.
As a healthcare provider, with nine years post high school education in my profession, and many years of practice, I fail to understand why anyone would choose to put their child through the experience of a vaccine preventable disease. We vaccinate children in infancy and early childhood not just to protect THEM, but to protect those who cannot receive vaccines due to being immunocompromised. Those immune-challenged children cannot produce the antibodies that vaccines cause to be produced, leaving them susceptible to the diseases when exposed to them.
While any child can have complications, or die, from experiencing measles, rubella, mumps, chickenpox or whooping cough, immunocompromised children are at a significantly increased risk of severe illness, complications and death when exposed to these childhood diseases.
And it is not just children who are at risk. Adults, immunocompromised or not, can catch these diseases if they have no antibodies to protect them, and the outcome can be devastating. You either have the antibodies through experiencing the disease or by getting the vaccine, but some people cannot risk either route of acquiring protection due to their weak immune systems.
Vaccination rates for childhood illnesses have shown a decline in recent years, with the predictable outcome of outbreaks of diseases, such as measles, in some states. Sadly, three children have died from a vaccine-preventable illness. We need what is called “herd immunity” by having a vaccine rate of over 90%. Beaufort County Schools stand at an amazing rate 95.1% (South Carolina Department of Public Health 2023).
Through the required school immunizations, Beaufort County is doing an excellent job of protecting our children, and even some adults, from winning the lottery of experiencing preventable childhood illnesses. Public health and disease prevention matters!
— Barb Nash, Beaufort
‘Particularly puzzled’ and ‘sad’
Do we not live in a great country? Folks who do not like something or someone can make signs and stand on the curb to peacefully protest. Even more wonderful is the fact that newspapers can print photos of the protesters every time they are back on the street. This news gives many of us pause as we contemplate the messages these folks proclaim and scratch our heads.
I am particularly puzzled by the “100 days of Hell so far …” sign held by a man who looks fed and clothed and can express his rights. I subscribe to the belief that we make our own hell (paraphrasing Jean-Paul Sartre), and I am sad that TDS has brought this gentleman to such a low estate.
— Louise Mathews, Beaufort
‘Thank you many times over’
On behalf of myself and fellow combat wounded veterans of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 1775, thank you many times over for the invaluable veteran-assist letters within The Island News.
Larry [Dandridge] is a true SME (subject matter expert) that I wish was in my life 20 years ago to navigate the cumbersome bureaucracy of the Department of Veterans Affairs. These articles are so valuable that I print and discuss the publications routinely at each monthly Purple Heart meeting.
Godspeed.
— Joe Ramos, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Transgender, delusional people
[In] response to Mr. Birschbach’s trans support letter to the editor.
So, if one delusional male who can’t compete with males decided he wants a scholarship, he says he is a FEMALE, and beats 100 females for that scholarship, that is OK? Spoken like a true delusional Liberal! How about all participants take a DNA test?
— Jim Beck, Dataw Island
