Deadly outbreak just a plane ride away
Today measles and tomorrow, what? That’s the chilling question facing many New Zealanders who have been affected by diseases once thought eradicated by vaccines. Many of them are now in their senior years and are considered lucky because they have made it that far.
However, they have been living with constraints for many years – constraints that would not have existed had vaccines been available in their youth.
Quite naturally, they don’t want others to have to experience the same things when it is not necessary.
They also feel extremely annoyed that there are people who have chosen not to vaccinate their children.
While parents have a right to exercise their agency in this, they do not have a right to endanger others.
Back in our grandparents’ age their choice wouldn’t have been as big a problem as it is today.
People still moved around a lot then, but they did so relatively slowly.
Today, travellers can board an airliner on the other side of the world and be here within 24 hours.
This means they could set out on their journey showing no sign of a problem disease and infect scores of fellow travellers before they became openly ill.
Their fellow travellers scatter once they reach their destination country and the scene is set for a major medical headache.
Today, an outbreak can be only a plane ride away.
Diseases that come to mind include poliomyelitis, hepatitis B and rubella, but there are many others.
I know this because in 1949-50 I was one of 1323 New Zealand children who caught polio.
There were three cases at my primary school. One of us died.
One is permanently and obviously disadvantaged physically.
And then there was me, designated a ‘‘passer’’ – someone who could pass for ‘‘normal’’.
However, around half of my motor neurones were destroyed and my body’s efforts to patch me up wore off in later years, leaving me with postpolio syndrome, or the late effects of polio, which I wouldn’t even wish on an enemy.
A few years after polio made my acquaintance, vaccines were developed and distributed widely.
As a result, New Zealand has had no ‘‘wild’’ cases of polio since the 1960s.
This has created new problems.
Chief among these is that most of the general population – and many medical practitioners – think polio is no longer a concern.
Once, when my legs were X-rayed for a nonpolio problem, the doctors said to me, ‘‘I see you had some form of juvenile arthritis.’’
‘‘That will be the polio,’’ I said.
He laughed. ‘‘Don’t be silly. No-one survived polio.’’
I told him I knew of 20 million people who had. Then I changed my doctor.
About two months ago, a polio friend was admitted to hospital.
Thinking it would be helpful, his wife brought along some papers from the specialist hospital he had been admitted to earlier.
The doctor waved them aside.
‘‘There is no such thing as post-polio,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s all just old age.’’
When my friend protested, the doctor snapped back, ‘‘Look, I am the doctor here.’’
Fortunately, not all doctors are as closed minded. When Polios – as we call ourselves – find a doctor who knows about the late effects of polio, or is prepared to learn, we treasure them.
But back to measles. It’s just a silly little childhood complaint – right?
No. Measles is a killer among those who have no natural or medical protection against it.
The classic case is the visit of King Kamehameha II and Queen Kamamalu of Hawaii to London in 1824 to seek an audience with King George IV so they could negotiate an alliance with England.
While there, they visited the Royal Military Asylum, housing hundreds of soldiers’ children.
The royal couple contracted measles and died before the month was out.
They were aged 27 and 22, respectively. In subsequent years measles infections spread from California to Hawaii with frightening results.
When Captain James Cook arrived in 1778, the population had been about 300,000.
By 1876 there were only 53,900 Hawaiians still alive.
That is no ‘‘harmless’’ childhood illness. We have been spoiled by our medicines and our own natural immunity.
We owe it to our children and those of our friends and neighbours, to give them a safe start to life.
Measles is a killer among those who have no natural or medical protection against it.