Great news, everyone. Now that our Afghan friends are arriving in this country, we've had an outbreak of measles, because, of course, there is no need to take any precautions whatsoever when it comes to bringing someone into the country from the outside. Vaccination mandates for the rest of us but, if only to keep us scared, there will be a constant influx of people coming into the country with diseases to be sure that we stay scared. Stay scared, everyone. It's your patriotic duty.
The severe and dangerous outbreaks of measles that I am familiar with are among teenagers and young adults who gather in groups, such as high school or college. The vaccines they received when they were young are no longer effective, and nobody ever seems to get boosters for MMR anymore unless it is required by travel or employer. They are almost always initiated by travelers from other countries who bring it in. Those of us old folks who had it when we were kids don't seem to be affected--only those relying on the vaccine.
This is not only to keep us afraid, it is to remind us that in the eyes of the Federal Government, American citizens are second class in their own nation. There have been similar issues with those coming from our southern border.
When I was in grade school, the only thing that I remember kids ever getting vaccinated for was the polio vaccine. Many of us didn’t even get that because there was some problems with the vaccine actually causing the polio if it happened to be a live vaccine. Everything else, we usually had during grade school, so most of us had already had mumps, measles, the Asian Flu, and whatever else came through the area. I believe that it gave us a strong immune system, and one that is able to protect us quite well, usually, and does not wear off like some of the measles vaccines did. The only illness that I didn’t have when I was young was chicken pox, and I had that in high school, and had to take all of my achievement tests alone once I was recovered enough to go to school and take make-up tests. It seems like a lot of the problems we have had recently have come in with the illegal Hispanic people crossing the southern border, and now we will have even more with all of the Afghanistan people they have been bringing in. Even though people who are American citizens are supposed to be vaccinated or at least tested for communicable diseases, none of the people who come here illegally have to be tested or vaccinated. I think that the bedbug epidemic could very well have come from illegals crossing the border as well.
Oh, the number of diseases coming into the country unchecked is, although technically unknown, in all likelihood going to be the source of outbreaks and epidemics for years to come. The Obamaites have wanted the U.S. to be a third-world nation for some time, and now, perhaps, they have accomplished that.
We didn't go to doctors much when I was a kid, but I don't think I've ever had the measles. In fact, I don't think I've had any of what were the major common diseases of childhood unless I had them as a very young child, before my memory kicked in. I can remember only one major illness, and I think that was parent-diagnosed as the flu. I don't know why I ended up in that room, but I was isolated in the bedroom that normally held three kids, rather than in the smaller room. I don't know where everyone else ended up sleeping because I was alone in there. I know that I was pretty sick and, although I didn't have a word for it then, I was hallucinating and confused much of the time. My hallucinations were exacerbated by the fact that mom had a menthol fogger going at all times, which I kind of liked because the whole room smelled like Hall's Cough Drops, except that the room was in a fog most of the time and it was hard to see anything. I think it lasted for a couple of weeks, but mom was the only person I saw during that time, and she didn't even spend a lot of time there. She seemed worried. I can remember my older brother having the mumps once (but he was isolated in the small room) and, at another time, a couple of my brothers had the measles, but I never got that either. I think all three of the cousins I hung around with had the measles at the same time one year, too, but I was spared. I can remember hearing about someone having chickenpox but I must have been pretty young because I don't remember much about it. Whoever it was, I think they went to the hospital for that one. The first time I saw a doctor was when I needed to get a physical to work on the staff at a Boy Scout camp when I was thirteen.
How many of you have had measles? I don't think I've had it but I know that, while it was considered a serious illness when I was a kid, it wasn't the kind of thing you'd have to see a doctor for. Of course, I doubt that anyone in the family had health insurance.
I don't recall my childhood illnesses. When it came time for a Shingles Vaccine, I had my doctor test me for the chickenpox virus because I did not recall whether or not I had it. He didn't want to bother with the test because "every kid gets it." I tested positive. I do recall the vaporizer that @Ken Anderson referred to: Water+Electricity. That'll cure ya.
My brother and i both had the two different types of measles. My mother did her best at trying to protect our eyes. She had to cover windows in out room to keep out the sun. However the measles settled in my eyes and that is why I have had glasses all my life. My running high fevers also did not help according to doctors. Do not remember my girls having measles, but they did have the mumps on both sides and chicken pox- the girls had both sickness at the same time- at the same time. That was a small nightmare.
I had all standard childhood illnesses except whooping cough (pertussis). All the kids in the neighborhood got pertussis except my brother and myself, so I assume we had a genetic immunity to it. Alaska requires all personnel who work with very young children or pregnant women to be vaccinated against rubella. It used to be that if you were born before 1959, you were assumed to be immune, but that is no longer the case.
I had whooping cough at 10 and passed it on to my 4-month-old sister, who almost died from it. I had every known childhood disease, including scarlet fever. If anything passed through town, I was there to welcome it. I have no idea why I was so susceptible to all that, but I sure was. I was even a positive TB test reactor for years, but never actually had TB. I turned into a healthy adult, though.
So there I was, a 17 year old kid in my 3rd week of basic training and standing at attention for revelee inspection when the Drill Sergeant stops in front of me. He looked for a split second then stood back and yelled: Hell Boy, those spots on your face ain’t regulation! Go on sick call! As it was, the medic on duty told me that once the spots showed up I was already out of the woods so I went back on duty the next day. Notably, unlike the first time I had the measles when even the smell of bacon cooking was repugnant, I didn’t have the slightest clue I was even sick. I didn’t have any hair to comb and I only shaved once every 2 or 3 days and brushing teeth doesn’t take a mirror to do so I didn’t know I even had spots.