Editor,

Thank you to Dr. Robert Wagner for his excellent letter to the editor regarding vaccines and disease prevention. He is so right. Prevention is “invisible” and thus many don’t really understand all the good work performed by vaccines. I do. When I was five years old I contracted polio. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

Dr. Wagner mentioned performing spinal taps on children. That indeed was and still is a diagnostic tool for polio, and it wasn’t a pleasant experience, especially for a child.

I was luckier than some of my classmates who also got polio, as my own case was mild. No leg braces or iron lung for me. But the thing I remember most now is just how many other children were there with me. An entire hospital section full of sick children.

My parents and others must have been so scared, wondering if their small children at home would catch the disease too. What a nightmare. We don’t want to repeat that.

As we hear about new, dangerous U.S. immunization policies, I truly hope as a nation and community we can bring back a sense of perspective about vaccines and understand their immense value to us. Generations of people have been spared the scourge of polio and other diseases because of vaccines. Let’s continue that good science-based work.

Merri Huffine

Oak Harbor