Opinion | Measles is contagious and cruel – The Washington Post – The Washington Post

Leana S. Wens March 6 op-ed, Florida finds the wrong medicine to fight measles, is absolutely correct in describing measles as highly contagious. In my experience, that disease and the others prevented by the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is also cruel.

In 1972, I was hired as a teachers aide at the Maryland School for the Deaf. The school was in great need of assistants due to the rubella bulge of new students into the elementary school grades.

Those children might have been infected when their mothers were exposed to rubella while pregnant. The consequences to a developing baby are serious and can be life-altering. Deafness is a possibility, as are impaired vision, heart murmurs and other attacks on the developing child.

I worked in a very full classroom of new students who were living at just 5 or 6 old in a residential school. Because my students were deaf, most arrived with a natural delay in language development. We could teach them English and American Sign Language and provide special attention. On the weekends the children boarded the bus and went home. The school also had a grant to support staff traveling to parts of the state to teach parents and other adults how to communicate with their children. It was a band-aid for many young families.

It is fortunate that children with similar disabilities are now more likely to attend schools in their communities and that they and their families can receive support closer to home. But rather than rejecting the MMR vaccine and risking the preventable deafness or blindness I witnessed, I hope everyone will embrace this protection for themselves, their families and even strangers.

Nancy Connors, Chevy Chase

Read the rest here:

Opinion | Measles is contagious and cruel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post