Beware Victorian Diseases Among Us

With the Omicron and other variants of Covid-19 in what appears to be a steady decline and more than 75% of US adults vaccinated it's great to see the masks and isolation disappear and daily routines restored - with some adaptation - to pre-pandemic norms. At the same time we have to remember that this disease and its variants join a pantheon of respiratory infections we can expect to see every year. We'll learn to live with this risk as humans always have.

H.G. Wells probably got it right when nature's biological weapons took care of the Martians in his book, War of the Worlds. I watched George Pal's 1953 film adaptation of that book with a group of older cousins. We were lying on blankets at a drive-in theater under a canopy of stars. That night any one of those twinkling lights overhead could have been a Martian spacecraft on its way to Earth. I was seven that year, perhaps a bit young to be watching such an impressionable film, especially the scene of a slowly dying hand creeping out of the war machine. I survived and went on to enjoy all the decades of sci-fi and horror films Hollywood and England could produce.

Interestingly, the same year that War of the Worlds hit the screen for the first time, Dr. Jonas Salk announced a vaccine to prevent poliomyelitis. The disease had become the most terrifying public health issue in the post-war U.S. Attacking mostly children, there were tens of thousands of cases each year and, up to 1952, the numbers were increasing. Today polio is on the threshold of eradication. That could have been said for other diseases a decade ago, but now they are a growing threat, especially among what the London Daily Mail in 2009 called the "Victorian" diseases. The reason: unwarranted fear of the DTP and MMR vaccines.

Granted, any medical procedure or application of medical science involves some risk to health. Where there is too much risk or flawed research or outright crime, appropriate actions must be taken. But risk to life safety is inevitable. Weighing those risks is a personal decision that should be based on reasonable evidence. Too often, we do not hear the good news verifying low risk to health and safety. Instead, we hear the opposite, and it can be news based on the persuasive performances of trial lawyers out to win a living, not earn the truth. In this climate, exacerbated by mistrust, emotion and fear, we can lose site of that reasonable evidence and place ourselves and those we love at serious risk.

Diphtheria, tetanus. pertussis (whooping cough) - DTP - and measles, mumps, and rubella - MMR - the diseases that ravaged our ancestors, are now ascending in many parts of the developed world. All of these diseases could be prevented easily with injections of vaccines that have very, very low risks. Virtually all medical professionals recommend the vaccinations rather than risking damage or death from the diseases. Given the much higher risks we take for granted everyday, the risks from a vaccination seem more than acceptable. Why give these biological weapons the advantage? If we ignore them, they could win the war of this world.

They're Microbes But At Least They're Our Microbes

 

With the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in what appears to be a decline in severity and numbers and 75% of US adults vaccinated it's great to see the masks and isolation disappear and daily routines restored - with some adaptation - to pre-pandemic norms. At the same time we have to remember that this disease and its variants join a pantheon of respiratory infections we can expect to see every year. We'll learn to live with this risk as humans always have. 

H.G. Wells probably got it right when nature's biological weapons took care of the Martians in his book, War of the Worlds. I watched George Pal's 1953 film adaptation of that book with a group of older cousins. We were lying on blankets at a drive-in theater under a canopy of stars. That night any one of those twinkling lights overhead could have been a Martian spacecraft on its way to Earth. I was seven that year, perhaps a bit young to be watching such an impressionable film, especially the scene of a slowly dying hand creeping out of the war machine. But I survived and went on to enjoy all the decades of horror Hollywood and England could produce.

Interestingly, the same year that War of the Worlds hit the screen for the first time, Dr. Jonas Salk announced a vaccine to prevent poliomyelitis. The disease had become the most terrifying public health issue in the post-war U.S. Attacking mostly children, there were tens of thousands of cases each year and, up to 1952, the numbers were increasing. Today polio is on the threshold of eradication. That could have been said for other diseases a decade ago, but now they are a growing threat, especially among what the London Daily Mail in 2009 called the "Victorian" diseases. The reason: unwarranted fear of the DTP and MMR vaccines.

Granted, any medical procedure or application of medical science involves some risk to health. Where there is too much risk or flawed research or outright crime, appropriate actions must be taken. But risk to life safety is inevitable. Weighing those risks is a personal decision that should be based on reasonable evidence. Too often, we do not hear the good news verifying low risk to health and safety. Instead, we hear the opposite, and it can be news based on the persuasive performances of trial lawyers out to win a living, not earn the truth. In this climate, exacerbated by mistrust, emotion and fear, we can lose site of that reasonable evidence and place ourselves and those we love at serious risk.

Diphtheria, tetanus. pertussis (whooping cough) - DTP - and measles, mumps, and rubella - MMR - the diseases that ravaged our ancestors, are now ascending in many parts of the developed world. All of these diseases could be prevented easily with injections of vaccines that have very, very low risks. Virtually all medical professionals recommend the vaccinations rather than risking damage or death from the diseases. Given the much higher risks we take for granted everyday, the risks from a vaccination seem more than acceptable. Why give these biological weapons the advantage? If we ignore them, they could win the war of this world.

Anti-Semitic Campaign In San Francisco

The media and blogosphere had some fun this past week over San Francisco's upcoming November referendum on banning circumcision. The fun ended today with the appearance of some disturbing anti-Semitic campaign literature. Regardless of how you feel about the referendum or its subject, propaganda in the best tradition of the Third Reich has no place in the American experience.











Reason, rationality, and moderation have been in short supply in the City by the Bay for some decades now. Let's hope the leftists behind this campaign see the hatred and bring it to a quick end. Here is your link to more pictures and commentary.

Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for aggregating this story.

The Future Of Sanity In Medicine

Many doctors are not happy with the prospect of a medical industry under the complete control of the federal government. Personally, I know one who has already quit full-time to home school her children and others who plan on quiting completely should "socialized medicine" be implemented. I was surprised today to read that Dr. Sanity will join them. Read about her decision here.

Smoke And Mirrors

Health care in the U.S. is a big issue that may have been deflated today according to this post at Power Line. I'll bet it takes the dinosaur media more than a few days to pick up the story.

Microbes

H.G. Wells probably got it right when nature's biological weapons took care of the Martians in his book, War of the Worlds. I watched George Pal's 1953 film adaptation of that book with a group of older cousins. We were lying on blankets at a drive-in theater under a canopy of stars. That night, any one of those twinkling lights overhead could have been a Martian spacecraft on its way to Earth. I was seven that year, perhaps a bit young to be watching such an impressionable film, but I survived and went on to enjoy all the decades of horror Hollywood could produce.

Interestingly, the same year that War of the Worlds hit the screen for the first time, Dr. Jonas Salk announced a vaccine to prevent poliomyelitis. The disease had become the most terrifying public health issue in the post-war U.S. Attacking mostly children, there were tens of thousands of cases each year and, up to 1952, the numbers were increasing. Today polio is on the threshold of eradication. That could have been said for other diseases a decade ago, but now they are a growing threat, especially among what the London Daily Mail calls the "Victorian" diseases. The reason: unwarranted fear of the DTP and MMR vaccines.

Granted, any medical procedure or application of medical science involves some risk to health. Where there is too much risk or flawed research or outright crime, appropriate actions must be taken. But risk to life safety is inevitable. Weighing those risks is a personal decision that should be based on reasonable evidence. Too often, we do not hear the good news verifying low risk to health and safety. Instead, we hear the opposite, and it can be news based on the persuasive performances of trial lawyers out to win a living, not earn the truth. In this climate, exacerbated by mistrust, emotion and fear, we can lose site of that reasonable evidence and place ourselves and those we love at serious risk.

Diphtheria, tetanus. pertussis (whooping cough) - DTP - and measles, mumps, and rubella - MMR - the diseases that ravaged our ancestors, are now ascending in many parts of the developed world. All of these diseases could be prevented easily with injections of vaccines that have very, very low risks. Virtually all medical professionals recommend the vaccinations rather than risking damage or death from the diseases. Given the much higher risks we take for granted everyday, the risks from a vaccination seem more than acceptable. Why give these biological weapons the advantage? If we ignore them, they could win the war of this world.