I was among the testers for the polio vaccine in the early '50s in Dayton, Ohio. My next door neighbor, Alan, got the placebo. How do I know? He got polio - he survived it but died too young because of its long-term impact. I am vaxed for most everything I think. Despite the vaccinations to the time of 3/2023, I still got COVID and now have long COVID. I imagine w/o the vaccinations I'd have been sicker and maybe the LC would be far worse .. which for me would be brain fog. I've "only" developed odd stuff like tinnitus, musical hallucinations (not "ear worms"), a rash that won't leave causing me the inability to walk more than a feet, and oh ... become almost 75% deaf. Imagine w/o vax.
Imagine when childcare places and schools close bec the kids made each other sick and then the teachers got it and then parents and other caregivers and the hospital staff who weren't vaccinated...oh I do sound like a fatalist and I guess I am having lived through my friend's polio. OPPOSE these putzes.
Joan, I'm so sorry you got Long Covid! I'm pretty sure that's what I'm dealing with, too. I got Covid in July and can't shake the horrible fatigue and brain fog. I, too, am glad I was vaccinated! It took almost a month, despite taking Paxlovid, for me to have a negative Covid test after I first got sick, so I was feeling bad for a very long time. My son is an anti-vaxer (because Covid is a hoax, Mom!) but I noticed he didn't come up here to take care of me when I was so sick...) I hope you and I both feel 'normal' eventually if it's at all possible.
Oh I’m so sorry. I have a google alert on long covid & at least skim medical & scientific papers for info that changes constantly. Mayo has digital support groups for lots incl LC. Find it. Comparing symptoms helps. I’m so sorry you have brain fog. It has to be horrific. And I’m sorry about your son for many reasons, Mary. To us and feeling better.
It just keeps getting crazier and crazier, Clay. And don't forget about Dr. Mehmet Oz, who pushes quack 'cures' on television ... perhaps his Ivermectin will replace the polio vax. How DARE these fools risk the lives of every person in this nation??? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ...
Every single F*g day comes with a new piece of stupidity and/or graft from the Orange Snake and the minions he wants to put in charge. I've gotten to the point where I barely read the Bulwark, Robert Hubble, etc., never mind ignoring MSNBC, which is the ONLY channel/network/whatever, that is talking about the Snake's insane, treacherous Cabinet and other picks. Latest today is getting rid of the FDIC, which guarantees that a poor depositor like me won't lose her minuscule savings when the Snake and Musk tank the economy. Instead, I'll play with little Nomi, who replaced my late boy Tewlee (my avatar) a week after Tewlee's death, play the computer games I've bought from Big Fish games, read the books I've ignored that have nothing to do with politics later than the 1950s, and in general try and get a sense of peace and the upcoming Christmas season.
I love your work. Frankly I don't know how you can do it without losing your sanity. Or is that your secret? :-)
Welcome back to the insane country we both call home.
I'm staying away from news this past week. Binged on "Bones" reruns for a couple of days. "Midsomer Murders" every few hours (Ovation and Acorn). Watching the "Cars" movies now. Not to mention playing with Nomi every once in a while. Little girl has upset tummy today and before dawn - I think I overdid her treats yesterday!
We have to get away from the daily insanity track. Don't know how you do it, Clay!
A friend of mine had polio as a child and it reappeared when she was in her late 50's. She has gradually become weaker, debilitated and needs a wheelchair to get around. I haven't seen her since before covid because she is always too tired to see anyone.
We are both from the pre-polio vaccine period when the fear of polio hung over our heads and affected many things we did.
Damn...polio? I remember my Mom making sure I got this shot...in the 50s, I remember it was a 4 prong shot, and she believed strongly in it. Thank you, Mom. Great toon and blog
The 4 prong thing was probably the TB Tine test. Was it in your wrist? They always gave me that one with the polio sugar cube. I am an army brat, so lots of moving. Each time we left the country we had to get updated vaccinations. My sister went to Germany three times and has three small pox scars, one of which is pretty bad. I got my only small pox vaccination in 1974 despite going to Germany twice. When I went at 18 the disease had been "eradicated". Ha! When my oldest move to Japan in 2013 she had to get a small pox vaccine because it is back. SMDH
Susan, I think the 4-prong thing in the '50s was for smallpox, another GREAT vaccine! Polio didn't come along until the very early '60s and I think it was not a shot but liquid put onto a sugar cube. At least that's how I got mine. Yummy, and a lot less painful and scary than an injection! But I'm glad you got yours!
When I volunteered for hospice a few years ago, I had to get the TB test - that was the 4-prong thing and it still is. I definitely remember the sugar cube. But I also have a vague memory of a shot before the sugar cube. Did they do both back in the late 50s in NYC? I'm guessing 57-58.
I remember getting the smallpox vaccine on my hip, somehow leaving a round mark with lots of little indentations. There were a lot of others who got it in their upper arms.
Well drawn and well said. Siri, the home appliance, is annoying. Siri the thimerasol-fearing lawyer is downright dangerous. As is RFK. As is DJT. The last was spouting skewed statistics on diagnoses in an interview and all I could think of was the way rape in America jumped when it became more "reportable."
These people are all so f'ing dangerous!! And the Orange Menace hasn't even taken office yet, RFK, Jr. hasn't been confirmed by the Senate, so WTF is this Siri guy doing getting involved already in trying to get approval revoked for vaccines?? How can they do that when they aren't even 'open for business yet'? What am I missing here? I was also thinking the other day, as I read another alert about some more produce and chicken that had to be pulled from the shelves, is the new administration going to cut out the FDA so that we have no one keeping us safe from this stuff that will make us sick if we eat it?? As my mom used to yell from the front seat of the car while we were on vacation and we kids were fighting in the back seat, "Oh, we're going to hell in a handbasket!!"
When I was young, we all knew about polio and were afraid of it. When the vaccine was made available, I was THRILLED! I was determined to get it despite being afraid of shots. I kept drawing pictures of giant needles with atoms coming out of them and going into an arm as well as other drawings I did to deal with the anxiety. I remember how proud I was to get that shot.
I later got a master's degree in microbiology. When Covid started, I followed all the news I could find on it. When there was the lockdown, I expected a few weeks would stop it... It behaved erratically, some people getting minor cases, some winding up on respirators. In retrospect, the lockdown didn't work, but none of us knew what the best approach was. I thought that Dr. Fauci was doing an excellent job advising the approach to it (I had remembered reading about him before Covid hit). Now, there are so many people smearing him that I can't believe how dense they are. I wish we, as a country, had a better respect for intelligent science.
I remember going somewhere in the evening and lining up with other families for the sugar cube. Also, we were given vaccinations for the other diseases at school. We would all line up and the nurses would give us the shots. It's funny how we don't hear about outbreaks of small pox, polio, measles, mumps, whooping cough, diptheria, etc. any more, after vaccinations became mandatory.
I was among the testers for the polio vaccine in the early '50s in Dayton, Ohio. My next door neighbor, Alan, got the placebo. How do I know? He got polio - he survived it but died too young because of its long-term impact. I am vaxed for most everything I think. Despite the vaccinations to the time of 3/2023, I still got COVID and now have long COVID. I imagine w/o the vaccinations I'd have been sicker and maybe the LC would be far worse .. which for me would be brain fog. I've "only" developed odd stuff like tinnitus, musical hallucinations (not "ear worms"), a rash that won't leave causing me the inability to walk more than a feet, and oh ... become almost 75% deaf. Imagine w/o vax.
Imagine when childcare places and schools close bec the kids made each other sick and then the teachers got it and then parents and other caregivers and the hospital staff who weren't vaccinated...oh I do sound like a fatalist and I guess I am having lived through my friend's polio. OPPOSE these putzes.
Joan, I'm so sorry you got Long Covid! I'm pretty sure that's what I'm dealing with, too. I got Covid in July and can't shake the horrible fatigue and brain fog. I, too, am glad I was vaccinated! It took almost a month, despite taking Paxlovid, for me to have a negative Covid test after I first got sick, so I was feeling bad for a very long time. My son is an anti-vaxer (because Covid is a hoax, Mom!) but I noticed he didn't come up here to take care of me when I was so sick...) I hope you and I both feel 'normal' eventually if it's at all possible.
Oh I’m so sorry. I have a google alert on long covid & at least skim medical & scientific papers for info that changes constantly. Mayo has digital support groups for lots incl LC. Find it. Comparing symptoms helps. I’m so sorry you have brain fog. It has to be horrific. And I’m sorry about your son for many reasons, Mary. To us and feeling better.
Thank you, Joan - I'm sorry I missed this earlier. I've gotten really behind on emails, obviously! Happy New Year!!
It just keeps getting crazier and crazier, Clay. And don't forget about Dr. Mehmet Oz, who pushes quack 'cures' on television ... perhaps his Ivermectin will replace the polio vax. How DARE these fools risk the lives of every person in this nation??? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ...
Every single F*g day comes with a new piece of stupidity and/or graft from the Orange Snake and the minions he wants to put in charge. I've gotten to the point where I barely read the Bulwark, Robert Hubble, etc., never mind ignoring MSNBC, which is the ONLY channel/network/whatever, that is talking about the Snake's insane, treacherous Cabinet and other picks. Latest today is getting rid of the FDIC, which guarantees that a poor depositor like me won't lose her minuscule savings when the Snake and Musk tank the economy. Instead, I'll play with little Nomi, who replaced my late boy Tewlee (my avatar) a week after Tewlee's death, play the computer games I've bought from Big Fish games, read the books I've ignored that have nothing to do with politics later than the 1950s, and in general try and get a sense of peace and the upcoming Christmas season.
I love your work. Frankly I don't know how you can do it without losing your sanity. Or is that your secret? :-)
Welcome back to the insane country we both call home.
I had the TV, Computer and cell phone off for a couple days ... a couple of very sane normal days. Turned all that on and things got "weird" fast.
I'm staying away from news this past week. Binged on "Bones" reruns for a couple of days. "Midsomer Murders" every few hours (Ovation and Acorn). Watching the "Cars" movies now. Not to mention playing with Nomi every once in a while. Little girl has upset tummy today and before dawn - I think I overdid her treats yesterday!
We have to get away from the daily insanity track. Don't know how you do it, Clay!
A friend of mine had polio as a child and it reappeared when she was in her late 50's. She has gradually become weaker, debilitated and needs a wheelchair to get around. I haven't seen her since before covid because she is always too tired to see anyone.
We are both from the pre-polio vaccine period when the fear of polio hung over our heads and affected many things we did.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-polio-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355669
I've known about 3 people who had polio as kids, but didn't know it could come back later! Oh, man, that's awful. :( I wish your friend the best.
Damn...polio? I remember my Mom making sure I got this shot...in the 50s, I remember it was a 4 prong shot, and she believed strongly in it. Thank you, Mom. Great toon and blog
The 4 prong thing was probably the TB Tine test. Was it in your wrist? They always gave me that one with the polio sugar cube. I am an army brat, so lots of moving. Each time we left the country we had to get updated vaccinations. My sister went to Germany three times and has three small pox scars, one of which is pretty bad. I got my only small pox vaccination in 1974 despite going to Germany twice. When I went at 18 the disease had been "eradicated". Ha! When my oldest move to Japan in 2013 she had to get a small pox vaccine because it is back. SMDH
Seems to be the same group that's screaming that vaccines don't work that's screaming that not giving smallpox vaccinations is bringing back smallpox.
You figure it out. I can't.
Susan, I think the 4-prong thing in the '50s was for smallpox, another GREAT vaccine! Polio didn't come along until the very early '60s and I think it was not a shot but liquid put onto a sugar cube. At least that's how I got mine. Yummy, and a lot less painful and scary than an injection! But I'm glad you got yours!
When I volunteered for hospice a few years ago, I had to get the TB test - that was the 4-prong thing and it still is. I definitely remember the sugar cube. But I also have a vague memory of a shot before the sugar cube. Did they do both back in the late 50s in NYC? I'm guessing 57-58.
I remember getting the smallpox vaccine on my hip, somehow leaving a round mark with lots of little indentations. There were a lot of others who got it in their upper arms.
Well drawn and well said. Siri, the home appliance, is annoying. Siri the thimerasol-fearing lawyer is downright dangerous. As is RFK. As is DJT. The last was spouting skewed statistics on diagnoses in an interview and all I could think of was the way rape in America jumped when it became more "reportable."
These people are all so f'ing dangerous!! And the Orange Menace hasn't even taken office yet, RFK, Jr. hasn't been confirmed by the Senate, so WTF is this Siri guy doing getting involved already in trying to get approval revoked for vaccines?? How can they do that when they aren't even 'open for business yet'? What am I missing here? I was also thinking the other day, as I read another alert about some more produce and chicken that had to be pulled from the shelves, is the new administration going to cut out the FDA so that we have no one keeping us safe from this stuff that will make us sick if we eat it?? As my mom used to yell from the front seat of the car while we were on vacation and we kids were fighting in the back seat, "Oh, we're going to hell in a handbasket!!"
Great!
When I was young, we all knew about polio and were afraid of it. When the vaccine was made available, I was THRILLED! I was determined to get it despite being afraid of shots. I kept drawing pictures of giant needles with atoms coming out of them and going into an arm as well as other drawings I did to deal with the anxiety. I remember how proud I was to get that shot.
I later got a master's degree in microbiology. When Covid started, I followed all the news I could find on it. When there was the lockdown, I expected a few weeks would stop it... It behaved erratically, some people getting minor cases, some winding up on respirators. In retrospect, the lockdown didn't work, but none of us knew what the best approach was. I thought that Dr. Fauci was doing an excellent job advising the approach to it (I had remembered reading about him before Covid hit). Now, there are so many people smearing him that I can't believe how dense they are. I wish we, as a country, had a better respect for intelligent science.
Cities used to shut down every summer, if they had too many polio cases.
https://answers.childrenshospital.org/polio-outbreak-1955/
1955 was a bad year.
I remember going somewhere in the evening and lining up with other families for the sugar cube. Also, we were given vaccinations for the other diseases at school. We would all line up and the nurses would give us the shots. It's funny how we don't hear about outbreaks of small pox, polio, measles, mumps, whooping cough, diptheria, etc. any more, after vaccinations became mandatory.
Don’t forget to add Boko Haram to your list of RFKs fellow travelers in vaccine enlightenment