Got polio?  Got the measles?  Got the mumps?  Got rubella?    Got the flu?  Got the shingles?  Got tetanus?  Got a whooping cough? Got Hepatitis A or B?  Got COVID-19?  Got Diphtheria?  Got Chickenpox?

Thank vaccines.   They do save lives! 

GOT IT!

Ask Kim Driver Luton of Smithville, Tennessee, “As a polio survivor, I cannot understand why anyone would not get their children vaccinated in 2025 or in any previous year. Polio affected my right leg and ankle, leaving it paralyzed and I am unable to move my ankle today. To take a chance with children by not providing vaccines is beyond me. Most childhood diseases have been eradicated because of vaccines - measles, smallpox, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) - and recently, RSV. There is more proof in support than non-support.”

In 1958 (Five (5) years before the measles vaccine was distributed), there were 100,000 cases of Rubella and 500 persons died – mostly children.

The most recent numbers reveal, there have been 378 measles cases in Tennessee.  Of this total, 95% of the cases were from “unvaccinated” persons.  Additionally, only 4% had one of two recommended MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) pediatric vaccinations.  In Tennessee, it is required that a pupil have two doses of the MMR vaccine before entering school.

In addition to the above, the other required vaccinations in Tennessee schools are:  Hepatitis B; Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis; Poliomyelitis; Measles; Mumps; 2 Rubella (MMR); and Varicella (Chickenpox).

“It’s recently been estimated that since the measles vaccine came out in 1963, it has saved 96 million lives and of this total, 94 million were children,” said Wikipedia.com.

There are different categories of the itchy and oblique viruses – Rubella (German Measles), which is milder than the measles.  To reiterate, the former is more severe and more highly contagious with potential severe complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis, the latter defined as an infection of the brain, often due to infection.

Symptoms of the measles typically include:

·         High fever – up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit

·         Cough and runny nose

·         Red, watery eyes

·         Rash 3-5 days following the beginning of symptoms

·         Rubella can live up to two (2) hours in the air following a cough or a sneeze.

The numerical United States’ summation of Rubella cases follows.  These yearly cumulative totals are taken from varying states:

2023 – 59 cases                       

2022 – 120 cases

2021 – 49 cases

2020 – 13 cases

“Rubella is almost 100% preventable by becoming vaccinated,” said Railling.  “Since the Rubella vaccine has become available, there has been more than a 99% reduction in cases.”  Prior to 2024, it had been five (5) years since the last case of the measles was reported in Tennessee.

In a dual statement from the Mayo Clinic and the Vanderbilt Medical Center, “One in 1000 people will die even if they are patients in our hospitals.”  From all accounts, it seems being vaccinated is the only preventative act in obtaining almost complete immunity from these debilitating parasitic diseases.

Currently, there have been two measles cases and one death associated with the virus in Tennessee – Rutherford County (Murfreesboro) and Shelby County (Memphis).  Information concerning the virus from all health departments is limited.  Most of these actions are in conformance with the HIPAA privacy law, which protects persons from undue reporting and fraudulent information.

Read my writing!!!  In all probability, you cannot get the measles if you are vaccinated against them.  It reminds me of the flu shots and the consensus of persons saying, “I got the flu even though I got the flu shot.”   Regardless, if you have a case of the measles after being vaccinated, your symptoms will be less severe.  Much like the COVID-19 vaccination. I was vaccinated and was diagnosed with COVID and wrote newspaper articles for one week – undisturbed and with no symptoms.

“Rubella is so contagious that if you have close contact with a person who has the measles and you’re not vaccinated, the chances of you becoming affected is 90% - just by being in the same room,” said Railling.

The first death attributed to the measles outbreak in the United States was to an “unvaccinated” child from Lubbock, Texas.  It was the first death since 2015 and the current outbreak total in West Texas now stands at 124.

For vaccinations in DeKalb County:

·         Health Department:  254 Tiger Drive, Smithville, TN  37166: Hours:  8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. weekdays: Phone:  615-597-7599.

·         Your family physician or nurse practitioner.