Dear editor,
Adding insult to injury, the Kansas Senate caved to one of its members this week to get passage of a voting map by adding legislation to eliminate the requirement for childhood immunizations.
No doubt, pushback to COVID-19 vaccines has fueled anti-vaccine proponets to apply this to all vaccinations.
The body that has the highest responsibility for public health either does not understand the concept of herd immunity and immunizations or chooses to ignore the implications of not following the principles that protect us.
In my 40 years of practicing medicine I have seen the effects of immunizations firsthand. After introducing new immunizations for 2-, 4- and 6-month-olds today we rarely see meningitis in infants, saving lives and the long-term effects of the disease.
I was born in 1953 and was lucky not to have contracted polio like some of my cousins did and lived with the effects their entire lives. We consider this one of the miracles of modern medicine.
When requiring immunizations is dismissed as unnecessary we are moving back to a more primitive understanding of what public health has taught us.
Individual freedom — to choose my own course regardless of how it affects my neighbor or community — flies in the face of the concept we are all taught growing up, that freedoms have responsibilities. This is one of them.
It is well-documented that herd immunity works when we all work together and require the current set of immunizations to be in school. This is essential to protecting our community.
It is sad that those responsible for the public good and health choose to do differently. Let them know you choose responsibility and working together as a community to protect each other.
Brian Wolfe, MD
Iola, Kan.
