Here’s why the vaccine
deniers are incorrect
On a regular basis, I see letters to the editor objecting to mandatory vaccination for children.
I think it bears repeating that vaccines need to be mandatory to be as effective as possible and lessen the chance of spreading.
This country is currently dealing with measles, considered eradicated in 2000, and approximately 95% of the population needs to be vaccinated.
Measles cases are now at the highest level in three decades thanks to low vaccination rates. Some of the population cannot be vaccinated, so the rest need to be vaccinated to protect them. Anyone questioning vaccinations should take that into consideration.
The spread of anecdotal “evidence” and denial of respected, well-documented science will logically bring back the diseases the medical professionals worked so hard to eradicate.
Something similar to the COVID pandemic can and almost surely will happen again, and soon. COVID-19 killed at least a million people in the U.S., and that was with serious attempts at preventative measures.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that vaccinations prevented 14.4 million deaths during the pandemic. It’s a tragedy that there were more people saved by vaccines, but the effort was undermined by politics and the spread of misinformation and outright lies.
Andrew Wakefield was a gastroenterologist who started the false claim that vaccines are dangerous. His research was debunked in 1998, and he was stripped of his doctor’s credentials.
That should tell the vaccine doubters something.
Karen Cooper
Hilo
Teacher retention can
be fixed with better pay
This is in reference to the article in the Feb. 18 edition titled, “Measures tackle 91直播 teacher shortage.”
To all those in charge of attempting to rectify the situation, please pay close attention to the following sentence. (And yes, it is in all capital letters because I am yelling at you.)
IF YOU WANT TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TEACHERS, PAY THEM A DECENT LIVABLE WAGE, ONE ON WHICH THEY CAN SUPPORT A FAMILY!
Teachers are one of the most important, if not the number one most important, people in the lives of our next generation of adults, next to their parents. Having a well-educated population is one of the most important aspects for the survival of our country.
Daniel White
Captain Cook
