@boomerang,
I guess there are not enough people still alive who remember the fight against polio. I was very, very young when the first polio vaccine was distributed to the public. I remember the sugar cube delivery system. By the time I got to second grade I had already experienced measles, mumps and chicken pox. I was lucky because I had mild symptoms. Some kids were not so lucky, measles can cause blindness, deafness and can be fatal for small children on chemotherapy.
I had an uncle who contacted diphtheria, the was 2 years older than my dad who contracted rheumatic fever about the same time. Back then (1917-1925) the treatment was bed rest, stay out of school. Both brothers had to skip school for two years. My Dad made a complete recovery, his older brother was left with a severe hearing loss which severely impacted his ability to keep up developmentally. Many children died during that time, the infection just overpowered many.
I still remember pictures of huge wards of children in iron lungs, all because there was no vaccine. It's really a public health issue.
