More commentary about vaccines:

[hedgehog]

Tanaquil Le Clercq isn’t a household name, but she still holds a stunning place in ballet history. In the 1950s, “Tanny,” a gorgeous Paris-born American, was muse to the great New York City Ballet choreographer George Balanchine, who’d become her husband, and also to choreographer Jerome Robbins, who remained her friend.

But in 1956, at the age of 27 in the middle of a NYCB European tour, Tanny’s muscles felt stiff. She was struck down by polio, never to walk or dance again. In eerie foreshadowing, Balanchine had cast her as a polio victim in one early ballet; he danced the role of polio.


http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/02/18/ballet-polio-tanaquil

[frazzled]

1. I remember her well

And most of us who grew up in the 1950s under the threat of polio, and when the polio vaccine was widely introduced, find it odd how this anti-vaccine movement has grown.

Which is reminding me: as we are about to become grandparents soon, we are supposed to get a pertussis booster. It's recommended for anyone who is going to be around infants.

[hedgehog]

3. Excellent Reminder about the pertussis!

If someone around you is expecting, get your pertussis protection updated. You may have to do some hunting to find it; not all doctors can afford to keep vaccines in their office.

But - it's worth it - my husband had a chronic cough for several months that would grab him and leave him breathless. We're pretty sure it was pertussis. The problem is the lingering cough is a result of toxins left behind by the infection. There is no treatment once the cough sets in.

Now, imagine an infant coughing so hard she can't take a breath.

[MineralMan]

2. And today, smallpox, polio, and diphtheria are essentially

unknown to doctors who treat children. They have been almost completely eradicated by vaccination programs. And yet, some people, out of ignorance and fear or something more sinister are campaigning against vaccinating children. It's shocking and frightening. Ignorance is once again conquering knowledge.

[xchrom]

4. Du rec