Vaccines have all but erased the memory of diseases like rubella, but not for one mother

Vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. is pushing immunization rates down, fueling a rise in illnesses like measles and whooping cough. Devastating infectious diseases ran rampant in America, killing millions of children and leaving others with lifelong health problems. These illnesses were the main reason why nearly one in five children in 1900 never made it to their fifth birthday. Over the next century, vaccines virtually wiped out long-feared scourges like polio and measles and drastically reduced the toll of many others. Today, however, some preventable, contagious diseases are making a comeback as vaccine hesitancy pushes immunization rates down. And vaccines are facing even more scrutiny with a long-time anti-vaccine activist running the US federal health department. Janith Farnham is one of the Americans who knows the reality of vaccine-preventable diseases all too well. For her, news of measles outbreaks and rising whooping cough cases brings back terrible memories and a longing to spare others from similar pain. Janith has helped shepherd her daughter Jacque through life for decades. Jacque was born with congenital rubella syndrome, which can cause a host of issues including hearing impairment, eye problems, heart defects and intellectual disabilities. There was no vaccine against rubella back then, and Janith contracted the viral illness very early in the pregnancy, when she had up to a 90% chance of giving birth to a baby with the syndrome. Janith did all she could to help Jacque thrive, sending her to the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and using skills she honed as a special education teacher. She and other parents of children with the syndrome shared insights in a support group. But the condition kept taking its toll. As a young adult, Jacque developed diabetes, glaucoma and autistic behaviors. Eventually, arthritis set in. Given what her family has been through, Janith believes younger people are being selfish if they choose not to get their children the MMR shot against measles, mumps and rubella. “I know what can happen, and I just don’t want anybody else to go through this," she says. This article was provided by The Associated Press.