I am also old enough to remember life before the polio vaccine was developed. Polio was the most feared disease around at that time and life changed during polio epidemics. Children were not allowed to play with other children, people avoided crowds, swimming pools and movie theaters closed, we were not allowed to drink from a water fountain.
We lived in fear of contracting polio. I also remember lining up at Eastlawn School in Jeffersonville, Indiana to receive a few drops of a liquid on a sugar cube, which contained the Sabin oral polio vaccine, which had been developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Families celebrated that they no longer had to live in fear of the polio virus. Due to widespread use of this vaccine, polio was eliminated from North and South America by 1994.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
We all remember how excited we were to get an appointment in late 2020 or early 2021 to get the newly approved CoVid vaccine, so we could begin to resume a more normal life. We were able to stop wearing masks, resume attending events in person, spend holidays with extended family, and not have refrigerated trucks being used as temporary morgues at our hospitals. Healthcare workers were able to go to work without having to fear for their lives and soon our economy could recover.
Now we are considering putting a man in charge of Health Care in America who believes “there is no safe and effective vaccine.“ From my own experience as a practicing pediatrician, I believe the vaccines we are administering to our children have been proven many times to be both safe and effective. I also believe that having a man like Kennedy at the helm of the Health and Human Services Department could endanger our children’s health and lead to the unnecessary death of many American children from infectious diseases.
Ohioans can help prevent this by contacting Senator-elect Bernie Moreno and urging him to oppose this nomination. We can also contact Governor Dewine at (614) 644-4357 and urge him to replace Senator Vance with someone who believes in science and will also oppose Kennedy’s nomination. If Kennedy is confirmed, we can support legislative and school board candidates who support vaccine requirements for children to attend schools. Parents and grandparents can be certain their own vaccines are up to date if they are going to be around newborn infants. Parents can also discuss vaccines with their children’s pediatrician or other health care provider, and be certain their children receive all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the appropriate age.
America can not go back to a time when infectious diseases were a leading cause of death in children. Our nation’s children deserve better!
Paul Gresham is a retired pediatrician and former Centerville City Council member.
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