To the Editor:
The state of Florida is floating the idea of eliminating mandatory vaccinations for children. I believe this idea is gaining traction. Most people are too young to have a frame of reference for what some of these long-forgotten viruses can do.
Not me. I lived it.
My Aunt Sally was a polio victim. Her brother-in-law Bill was a polio victim. They contracted polio a few years before Dr. Jonas Salk developed the vaccine in 1955. Both of them spent the rest of their lives in wheelchairs. They were the lucky ones. Many died from it. Polio can’t be cured … many who contract it can’t breathe without the use of a ventilator. It weakens your respiratory muscles.
The ability to cough is weakened or eliminated, so even the common cold is a major concern. My aunt spent two years in a body cast. They fused her spine. Pain was ever-present. In addition, 30-40 years out, it was discovered polio victims would develop post-polio syndrome, which causes gradual muscle weakness and muscle atrophy.
So why the push-back on vaccinations? The theory that vaccines cause autism is commonly cited. I too had concerns when my son was born in 1992. I voiced my concern to our pediatrician, Dr. Silverman, about what I was hearing, talk of autism and links to vaccinations. If I remember correctly, he had an office in Court House.
He said, ” Barry, you don’t have to vaccinate all your children, only vaccinate the ones you love.” Two things happened. One, I felt foolish. Two, my son was vaccinated.
I’m happy to say my son never contracted polio and a host of other viruses. In addition, he never developed autism. My experience: I was born in 1962. Tail end of the baby boom. Home was Northeast Philadelphia. Row homes packed with children. Most homes had five to eight children. Never had a problem getting enough players for any game. Those of us from that generation like to kid that women didn’t have children back then, they had litters. (Side note: The pill became common by the late 1960s, and then the boom was over.)
I remember they handled vaccines like the Ford motor assembly line. The kids lined up at school, and every one of us was vaccinated for a host of viruses. No one got autism. Why did the parents allow this? Because they had firsthand experience with what polio and the other viruses can do. They were glad their children were vaccinated. By the way, it was free.
So at the end of the day it appears the U.S. is moving toward many bad ideas. I felt a duty to warn those of you too young to know better. Please do your own research. Most of this can be Googled, but there’s nothing like firsthand life experience.
Ask your grandparents if what I’m saying is false. My mother is 86, she lived it with my aunt. That’s the generation to ask.
What matters is you must protect your children.
Barry Felice
North Cape May
