The measles outbreak that at this writing stands at 158 cases and it began where I started school – Gaines County.
Ironically, the Sentinel’s name came from my Dad’s newspaper the Seminole Sentinel in Gaines County.
Back then, in the ‘50s, kids went through the whole round of measles, chicken pox, mumps and, in some cases, polio.
Kids also suffered from those diseases and shots made them disappear.
Until they didn’t.
Measles was considered conquered.
I was reading the Texas Tribune today about the measles outbreak.
The article noted that a community had to have an immunity of at least 95% to keep the disease from spreading.
According to the Tribune, what happened in Gaines County was that measles latched onto a community where there were lower immunization rates.
One of the county’s local public school districts with 143 students, according to 2023-24 school year data, has the highest school vaccine exemption rate in the state – 48% of Loop school district students have conscientious exemptions from required vaccinations, the Tribune reported.
In 2023-24 less than half of all Loop kindergarteners – 46% -
were given the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, state data shows.
The article quotes a health official who said there’s been decreases interest or decrease in trust in vaccines and that’s caused a decrease in vaccination rates.
I read this article thinking I’ve always trusted vaccines.
My mother was a registered nurse so I grew up in a household believing in medicine.
I have a flu shot every year that’s worked every year.
But I’ve also got into disagreements with friends – and others- who think otherwise about vaccinations.
I worked with an educated woman years ago who had two girls with autism and she believes their vaccinations were to blame.
She even formed an organization to bring attention to the autism-vaccination link.
I respect her enough to read up on the issue as much as possible.
I still don’t know enough.
She’s excited that RFK is now health secretary.
I’m not because I think there is still an enormous body of evidence that vaccinations work.
Judging by the outcry of Covid vaccines – and the masks that many called hateful no matter what good they posed - I’m afraid we are about to have another test of the people vs. medical science.
I’m writing this because I’m worried, but I also know that keeping communication open could encourage people to make good decisions about the health of their children and themselves.