To the Editor:
Re “My Daughter Died of Measles,” by Rebecca Archer (Opinion guest essay, April 25):
I had measles when I was 12. I almost died. I am now 78, and I remember every horrific moment … well, except when I was hallucinating with a 104-degree fever and unable to recognize my parents. It is the sickest I have ever been in my now long life, and being shut in my darkened bedroom, unable to bear even the slightest light for days, boiling hot with recurring chills, has stayed with me forever.
Measles vaccines weren’t an option then, but we now can prove the efficacy of vaccines in the near eradication of measles, along with a number of other potentially fatal diseases. And yet we have Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a lawyer, not a doctor! — telling people to reconsider and even to forgo vaccinating their young children, spitting in the face of proven medical science.
If you or someone you know has not vaccinated their kids because of misinformation, please, please listen: I would not wish measles upon my fiercest enemy.
Sally McBee
Stonington, Conn.
To the Editor:
My heart breaks for Rebecca Archer, whose daughter, Renae, died at age 10 as a consequence of exposure to measles earlier in her life. The family lives in England, where vaccination for measles is not compulsory.
This family’s tragedy should be read as a warning to all Americans that mandatory vaccination requirements for measles are the best remedy for keeping your own children safe as well as your fellow citizens’ children. We need to start listening to our doctors again.
Gerri Stewart
Montclair, N.J.
To the Editor:
My mother was exposed to measles when she was pregnant with me in 1947. As the current measles outbreak has spread across the U.S., I’ve been puzzled about why I haven’t seen more coverage of the potential impact of this disease on pregnant mothers and their unborn children until reading this piece. My heart goes out to Rebecca Archer for her loss.
At birth I was born without an optic nerve, essentially making me blind in one eye. This was diagnosed early, and I was fortunate to have 20/20 vision in my left eye, but my right sees nothing.
I’ve learned to live with this limitation, but it has made life challenging. I have no depth perception and little capacity to judge distances or read small print.
I hope greater attention can be given to the impact of measles on pregnant mothers and their unborn children. Perhaps those who oppose vaccines for measles will reconsider.
Holly Harrison Fiala
Downers Grove, Ill.
To the Editor:
In the early 1990s I was persuaded by folks around me to forgo vaccinations for my children. But during Covid my daughters convinced me that the science behind vaccines was sound and told me that they wanted me to get the Covid vaccine. That was the turning point for me, and I now avail myself of all the appropriate shots and encourage others to do the same.
Thank you to The Times for your excellent journalism and all it does to combat dangerous disinformation.
Elizabeth Rivera
McKinleyville, Calif.
To the Editor:
Re “Measles Is Back. It’s a Sign Worse Things Are Coming” (editorial, April 26):
I’m glad your editorial board is acknowledging that the resurgence of measles could be “a harbinger of something even worse.” However, you call for state officials, members of Congress and doctors to speak out without giving credit to those who have already been shouting this from the rooftops.
West Coast and Northeast states have formed their own health alliances. Multiple members of Congress, including several Republicans, have spoken out repeatedly. Most major professional physician groups (pediatricians, family medicine doctors, internists, obstetrician-gynecologists, infectious diseases specialists and the American Medical Association) as well as new groups of doctors such as Defend Public Health have joined together specifically to speak out for scientifically based public health policies, including recommending vaccines to save lives.
You meekly state that “so long as Mr. Kennedy remains health secretary … the options will be limited.” Why not state it like it is: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a threat to our nation’s health and should be ousted immediately from his position as secretary of health and human services. Period.
Lisa Plymate
Seattle
The writer is a retired internist.
