Then and Now – Vaccinations

When I was growing up in the 1960s, there were a lot fewer vaccinations…but I remember my mother was keen for my sisters and I to get all the ones that were available: Diphtheria – Pertussis – Tetanus (DPT) and smallpox, and then polio when it rolled out in the mid-1960s (I remember lining up at the elementary school to get the sugar cube). My father had almost died as a very young child and my mother always thought, based on his mother’s description, that the cause was probably whooping cough (pertussis) which was before the vaccine was widely available. The ‘childhood diseases’ (measles, chicken pox and mumps) required another strategy for mothers of that era: expose their children to those diseases to develop immunity to them by being sick with the disease. It was a risk but, in many cases, not as great a risk as having the diseases as an adult. I can remember being very sick with rubeola --- missing a few weeks of kindergarten. One of my sisters had a memorable case of mumps with a lot of neck swelling – but I didn’t have any symptoms at all which worried my mother because she had no way of knowing if I had developed immunity or not; years later in the 1980s, I got tested for mumps immunity during a pre-pregnancy appointment and evidently I had immunity (so no need to get a vaccination that did exist by that time).

In the 1960s at least 2 of my grandparents had pneumonia and were hospitalized. Would the vaccine we have today made it less severe or prevented it? There was a lot less antibiotic resistance in the 1960s so perhaps antibiotics were more reliable to helped them recover.

Now there are new forms of the old vaccines (except for smallpox which is no longer a circulating disease as it was in the 1960s) and new ones too. A lot of the childhood diseases are easily prevented. There are vaccines that are honed for older people too – applicable to my life stage: flu, shingles, pneumonia, RSV and COVID. I appreciate these developments since I am concerned about antibiotic and antiviral resistance; I prefer to stay well --- reduce the times I need treatment for an illness and vaccinations are a way to do that…along with maximizing the nutrition I am getting from my diet (with some supplements). Another strategy is to avoid or mask in times and places where I am likely to encounter people that are sick (indoor crowds particularly in the wintertime).

I am grateful that that are vaccinations available to prompt my immune system…so that I don’t have to be sick to gain immunity!

Previous Then and Now posts

Gleanings of the Week Ending May 11, 2024

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

A new way to quantify climate change impacts: 'Outdoor days' - Noting the number of days per year that outdoor temperatures are comfortable enough for normal outdoor activities. In the North, in a place like Russia or Canada, you gain a significant number of outdoor days. And when you go south to places like Bangladesh or Sudan, it's bad news. You get significantly fewer outdoor days.

Is filtered water healthier than tap water? - Water filters, it seems, are having a heyday – particularly in North America, Europe, and China. I was a little surprised that the article did not mention microplastics in water – even in countries that have relatively high standards for their water supplies.

Baltimore’s Toxic Legacies Have Reached a Breaking Point – “Normal” southwest of the collapsed Frances Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore…one of the most polluted places in the U.S. – a different perspective on the bridge collapse.

European ruling linking climate change to human rights could be a game changer — here’s how - On 9 April, the European Court of Human Rights delivered a groundbreaking ruling: states are obliged to protect their citizens from the threats and harms of climate change. And in that regard, judges said, Switzerland’s climate action has been inadequate. Without prescribing specific years or percentage reductions, the ruling set out how a nation can show it is compliant. It must set out a timetable and targets for achieving carbon neutrality, and pathways and interim targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Measures must be implemented in a timely, appropriate, and consistent manner. Governments must also provide evidence that they have complied with targets, and update targets regularly.

Positive perceptions of solar projects - A new survey has found that for U.S. residents living within three miles of a large-scale solar development, positive attitudes outnumbered negative attitudes by almost a 3-to-1 margin.

18th-Century Foundation Uncovered at Colonial Williamsburg – Even in much studied areas, there are still new things to discover!

Metabolic health before vaccination determines effectiveness of anti-flu response - Metabolic health (normal blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, among other factors) influences the effectiveness of influenza vaccinations….even in people with obesity which the vaccine had previously been documented as being less effective.

The environmental cost of China's addiction to cement - Today, China still accounts for just over half of the world's total annual 4.1bn tons of cement production (52%) – followed by India (6.2%), the EU (5.3%) and the US (1.9%). Little of that cement produced in China is exported. In 2020 the country used an estimated 2.4 billion tons of cement, 23 times the amount used in the US in the same year.

Teotihuacan's Pyramids Damaged by Ancient Earthquakes – Damage from megathrust earthquakes at the site between about AD 100 and 600: fracturing and dislodging of large masonry blocks used to construct the buildings, as well as chipping of blocks that comprised the pyramids' outer stairs.

Mini-colons revolutionize colorectal cancer research - Scientists have combined microfabrication and tissue engineering techniques to develop miniature colon tissues that can simulate the complex process of tumorigenesis outside the body with high fidelity, giving rise to tumors that closely resemble those found in vivo….offering a new path to research colon cancers and their treatment.