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I'm an old guy, born in the early 1930s and I grew up in a much different world than now. My Dad nearly died of smallpox. I had German measles when I was 9 and was quarantined for nearly 3 weeks. My young world was full of then-common diseases most younger people have never heard of: diphtheria, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, whooping cough, mumps, chicken pox and the biggie: polio. Most of the above have been practically eliminated due to vaccines and other public health measures. I really find it incredible that so many are now rejecting those life-saving preventatives. Nothing in life is 100% safe.

Summers in the 1940s were really scary. People knew polio was transmitted by human contact and public swimming pools, particularly, were very dangerous places. My Mother kept me in virtual quarantine during the hot months when infections seemed to be at their peak.

People can do as they wish now about vaccinating their kids, but I thank my parents over and over for taking advantage of new vaccines as they emerged. Polio vaccine came just in time to protect my own children, for which I am ever thankful. One of my uncles was crippled for life with polio.

Thanks for your testimony, very different time, much harder life. My mother came down with polio just prior to giving birth to me. She did recover completely, although because of it, she was unable to breast feed me. Guess that’s why I’ve always been a “Leg” man ;-)

And you left out the big one for my family, “lockjaw” or tetanus. I had a step first cousin who died at the age of six, the year before I was born, when he stepped on a nail in a board. Every adult panicked when anyone got a puncture wound or deep cut. The wound was wrapped with a rag and soaked in turpentine, then they prayed.

Agree.

But then there’s the Gardasil vaccine. I had my girls get it when they were 16 (not 12) and now I sorta regret it. It really doesn’t protect against much.

And the flu vaccine. Never had it myself. One daughter gets it because it’s required for her job as a nurse. My two oldest didn’t get the chicken pox vaccine and had chicken pox and were fine. Two youngest got the vaccine, many years after it was instituted, and fine.

And as you noted, nothing in life is 100% safe.

Glad for the polio vaccine. Whatever about the Chicken pox vaccine. Still questioning the Gardasil vaccine. Eh, the flu vaccine.

And now this Covid vaccine once it’s available in two years...is it going to be like the flu vaccine that doesn’t protect against the current strain of flu?

The polio vaccine actually made a difference.