Measles. I must have been 5 or 6 years old when I contracted measles. I remember being shut up in a dark room, blinds and curtains drawn, a big sign on the apartment door with a large “X.” My mother later told me the word was “quarantined.” My father stayed with a friend so he could work. My mother was in the bedroom constantly, wiping down my forehead and body. It seemed like forever.
That was well before the development of the measles vaccine which was licensed for use the year I graduated from college. Then about ten years later the measles vaccine was combined with two more, to prevent mumps and rubella, saving, literally, millions of lives over the past fifty-odd years.
Now, thanks to the anti-vaxxers, including the man who heads HHS, measles is raising its ugly head again. Two children have already died in Texas. Kennedy cancelled the FDA meeting on flu vaccines, opposes MMR, promotes conspiracy theories on polio vaccines, and, cowed, the Senate approved him as he lied his way through confirmation hearings. How many more children will die because of his anti-science stand? Many.
Prayer for the Day
Troubled, dear God, as conspiracy theories swirl around us,
We fear that we will enter a dark age due to those who rule;
Fearful, O Lord, for you have given us minds to discern facts,
But so many have closed themselves off against science.
Deliver us, O Holy One, from people who would take us back,
Destroying scientific truth in their mindless efforts.
In the name of the One who opens our minds,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
I think there's a value in having an independent committee that looks at the data [for next winter’s flu vaccine], holds it to a very high standard. That's a process that makes sure that we can have the best science behind the decisions we make.
Paul Offit, M.D., internationally recognized infectious disease expert
[The Texas outbreak] is not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year.
RFK, Jr, HHS, after two children died from measles
How the gold has grown dim, how the pure gold is changed!
The sacred stones lie scattered at the head of every street.
The precious children of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold –
How they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands.
Lamentations 4: 1-2