Why do some people have "fond memories" when they remember vaccine preventable diseases?

Do you remember that measles caused 380 deaths a year in the United States just before the measles vaccine was approved.

Anti-vax folks want you to believe that measles was a big "meh" in the pre-vaccine era, a big "meh" that even the NVIC admits caused "380 related deaths" a year in the United States before the first measles vaccine was approved!

The usual suspects...

How Do You Remember Vaccine Preventable Diseases?

First off, I'll let you know how I remember the vaccine-preventable diseases I have had and I have seen:

I remember that chicken pox was horrible! I'm old enough to have been born in the pre-vaccine era for chicken pox and I remember having a very bad case of chicken pox over Halloween one year when I was little. Missing out on getting candy was bad enough. The itchy spots all over my body were horrible!
I remember that my uncle had polio in the early 1950s, just before the vaccine came out. He was about to enter kindergarten and instead spent six months in a rehab hospital. He survived thankfully, but ended up with a withered leg and a lifelong limp.
I remember a lot of kids with meningococcemia, now mostly vaccine-preventable, during my residency years. Many didn't survive or if they did, they lost fingers, toes, or limbs to this horrible disease.
I also remember treating a lot of kids with severe diarrhea from rotavirus and severe pneumococcal disease (pneumonia and meningitis) before those vaccines came out.

And while some people did describe vaccine-preventable diseases, like measles and chicken pox, as being a rite of passage during the pre-vaccine era, that's only because they had no choice!

"Actually, I have fond memories of those illnesses. We got to enjoy a few days of extra special TLC with mom and usually another sibling who had it at the same time. I can still remember my mom pulling down the shades because our eyes were sensitive to light when we had measles; tying a scarf or maybe one of my Dad's big hankies under our chin, bunny ear style on top of our heads when we had mumps; and a neighbor affectionately calling my youngest sister "chickenpox" long after her bout with chickenpox had ended. It was all just a routine part of being a kid back then -- and nursing kids through those illnesses was a routine part of being a mom."

Why I started researching vaccines . . .

It was a routine part of being a parent because you couldn't yet vaccinate and protect your kids!

Who Doesn't Have Fond Memories of the Pre-Vaccine Era?

If you don't understand that already, you should once you take into consideration all of the people who certainly don't have fond memories of the pre-vaccine era!

Roald Dahl's daughter died of measles in 1962, the year before the development of the first measles vaccine.

Roald Dahl had no fond memories of measles!

"...there is today something that parents can do to make sure that this sort of tragedy does not happen to a child of theirs. They can insist that their child is immunised against measles. I was unable to do that for Olivia in 1962 because in those days a reliable measles vaccine had not been discovered. Today a good and safe vaccine is available to every family and all you have to do is to ask your doctor to administer it.

It is not yet generally accepted that measles can be a dangerous illness. Believe me, it is. In my opinion parents who now refuse to have their children immunised are putting the lives of those children at risk."

Roald Dahl on Olivia, writing in 1988

Who else?

There are many stories of children who died with a now vaccine-preventable disease, something that tragically was "a routine part of being a kid back then."

Their families don't have fond memories of measles, diphtheria, polio, pertussis, or any of the other now vaccine-preventable diseases.

Newborns and infants have the highest rates of death from pertussis.

Other parents regret not vaccinating their child who died of a vaccine-preventable disease once a vaccine became available.

Measles Was Never Marvelous

So why do some folks push the idea that measles, mumps, and polio were no big deal and something that everyone looked forward to having?

That's easy.

Cognitive dissonance.

In order to justify skipping or delay vaccinating their kids and putting their lives at risk from a life-threatening disease, they need to believe that those diseases really aren't that dangerous.

In the pre-vaccine era, measles was known as the "harmless killer," because while most kids recovered, others had severe complications or died.

Measles used to be known as the "harmless killer," because while most kids recovered, others had severe complications or died.

To do that, they make up stories about marvelous measles, watch old clips from the Brady Bunch, and try to not think about all of the people who have been killed by these vaccine-preventable diseases.

What they really need to do is do some more research about vaccines!

If they do, using reliable sources, they will find that vaccines are safe, with few risks, and are necessary.

How We Remember Vaccine Preventable Diseases

If you really want to know what the pre-vaccine era was like, you want to hear from the doctors who were on the front lines at the time!

In the pre-vaccine era, Hib caused epiglottitis, meningitis, and pneumonia - all life-threatening diseases that are now prevented by the Hib vaccine.

I was fortunate enough to train when the great majority of kids were vaccinated and protected against the Hib bacteria!

"Typical case of measles – a couple days of high fever, with a sick (miserable) looking kid with running nose, bad cough, and red eyes. You can see Koplic’s spots if you know to look for them on the buccal mucosa (I describe them as grains of salts on red tablecloth). Fever gets higher and rash appears at peak of fever (day 3-4). The rash disappears with a brawny hyperpigmentation appearance. The child frequently gets diagnosed with an ear infection. If no complications (ear infection or pneumonia), recovery is quick once the fever resolves, but these kids look really sick, miserable, and sad during the acute phase. They have a measly look."

Jeed Gan, MD

Neither did I see kids with the miserable, measly look of this "harmless killer," as I began training just after the big outbreak in the early 1990s. An outbreak that killed 123 people.

And I definitely didn't see kids with diphtheria, which is often described as the "children's plague."

What other nicknames are there for these vaccine-preventable diseases?

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is often described as the 100-day cough.

Polio is, of course, The Crippler.

Tetanus is lockjaw.

Andy Griffith knew that vaccine preventable diseases were serious!

Instead of that Brady Bunch measles clip, why don't anti-vax folks show the episode of Andy Griffith (The County Nurse) when Andy convinced Rafe Hollister to get a tetanus shot so that he wouldn't die after getting cut by a rusty saw or animal bite?

Diphtheria is also known as “the Strangling Angel!"

As the bacteria grows in the throat, a collection of bacteria and white blood cells begins to grow over the affected area. This "pseudomembrane" can grow to the point of obstructing the throat and destroying the tissues around the windpipe, suffocating the victim. For this reason, diphtheria has been called “The Strangling Angel.”

Remember When Diphtheria Shut Down Your School for Two Weeks?

Smallpox is the "Speckled Monster."

Do you think many people really have fond memories of having The Crippler, lockjaw, a bout with the Strangling Angel, or even the Harmless Killer?

How Do You Remember Vaccine Preventable Diseases?