Vaccines have all but erased the memory of diseases like rubella, but not for one mother

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Category: Health

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Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. hesitancy / ˈhez ə tən si / (n.) – the feeling or state of being not sure or certain about doing something
    Example:

    There was hesitancy about the new cough medicine, so many people didn’t support it.


  2. scourge / skɜrdʒ / (n.) – something that causes a lot of pain, trouble, or suffering
    Example:

    Poverty is still a scourge in many parts of the world.


  3. contagious / kənˈteɪ dʒəs / (adj.) – able to be passed from one person to another, such as through touching someone or something that has a virus
    Example:

    Her flu was still contagious, so she stayed home from work.


  4. shepherd / ˈʃɛp ərd / (v.) – to guide or take care of someone
    Example:

    His family and friends support and shepherd him through recovery.


  5. take its toll / teɪk ɪts toʊl / (idiom) – to cause a lot of harm or serious damage to someone or something
    Example:

    Working long hours and not eating properly is taking its toll on his physical and mental well-being.


Article

Read the text below.

Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is pushing immunization rates down, fueling a rise in illnesses like measles and whooping cough.


Devastating infectious diseases ran rampant in America, killing millions of children and leaving others with lifelong health problems. These illnesses were the main reason why nearly one in five children in 1900 never made it to their fifth birthday.


Over the next century, vaccines virtually wiped out long-feared scourges like polio and measles and drastically reduced the toll of many others.


Today, however, some preventable, contagious diseases are making a comeback as vaccine hesitancy pushes immunization rates down. And vaccines are facing even more scrutiny with a long-time anti-vaccine activist running the US federal health department.


Janith Farnham is one of the Americans who knows the reality of vaccine-preventable diseases all too well. For her, news of measles outbreaks and rising whooping cough cases brings back terrible memories and a longing to spare others from similar pain.


Janith has helped shepherd her daughter Jacque through life for decades. Jacque was born with congenital rubella syndrome, which can cause a host of issues including hearing impairment, eye problems, heart defects and intellectual disabilities.


There was no vaccine against rubella back then, and Janith contracted the viral illness very early in the pregnancy, when she had up to a 90% chance of giving birth to a baby with the syndrome.


Janith did all she could to help Jacque thrive, sending her to the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and using skills she honed as a special education teacher. She and other parents of children with the syndrome shared insights in a support group.


But the condition kept taking its toll. As a young adult, Jacque developed diabetes, glaucoma and autistic behaviors. Eventually, arthritis set in.


Given what her family has been through, Janith believes younger people are being selfish if they choose not to get their children the MMR shot against measles, mumps and rubella.


“I know what can happen, and I just don’t want anybody else to go through this,” she says.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • In the United States, fewer people are getting vaccinated because of vaccine hesitancy—this means some people aren’t sure about the vaccines or don’t fully trust the information about them. Do you think some people’s concerns about vaccines are valid? Have you ever had questions or doubts about vaccine information? What do you think could be done to reduce vaccine hesitancy? Discuss.
  • Do you think vaccine hesitancy is also happening in your country? Why or why not? Which group of people do you think is more vaccine-hesitant in your country (ex. older people, younger people)? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Vaccines have helped prevent diseases that most people don’t see anymore. Why do you think people sometimes stop paying attention to health risks when certain diseases become rare? How do you think this attitude toward health risks could affect public health? Discuss.
  • How do you think government health officials can help the public understand that we still need to be careful, even if we don’t often see these diseases today (ex. television and radio ads, school programs)? Discuss.