It occurred to me that I have a story to share that is relevant to the discussions about vaccinations. Back in the ‘80’s when I was a student at Indiana University there was a severe outbreak of the measles. I was one of the people who caught it. We were the ones who, as children, were inoculated with the dead virus instead of the live virus. Our bodies did not manufacture antibodies for the dead virus and so we did not develop a resistance to the disease.
I was lucky.I didn’t have a severe case. I was just really sick and didn’t feel well and had spots everywhere, which wasn’t great for a college junior looking to meet guys! However there were people that I knew of who were deathly ill in the campus infirmary. I don’t think anyone actually did die, but for a while it was touch and go for a few extremely sick students. What did happen to me was that my resistance and immune system were comprised for months afterwards and I caught strep throat and fever blisters and the flu and was sick for most of the spring semester.
The outbreak was a VERY big deal at the time. The national news came to town and wandered around Dunn Meadow on an unusually warm February day that often happens in southern Indiana looking for people to interview who knew something about the outbreak. There were hundreds of students out enjoying the sunshine. Since I’d actually contracted measles, I stepped forward and was interviewed for the national news and seen by friends and family across the country. I’ve always been in favor of vaccines, and this personal experience serves to reinforce my perspective. I know there are many people who are against vaccinations and I respect their opinions even though I don’t know a lot of the reasons behind them. I share this for information as my own personal experience.
