As we approach the sixth anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re filled with anger at the perpetuation of misinformation and a lack of regard for public health under the inept Trump administration.
Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 on account of high vaccination rates.
Due to the dismantling of policies and agencies under the current administration, coupled with vaccine hesitancy, we are now seeing a resurgence of measles. Through early February alone, there have been more than 730 confirmed measles cases in the United States this year. The five cases reported in Lancaster County recently meet the federal definition of an outbreak.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases, as the virus spreads through airborne droplets and can survive on surfaces for up to two hours. About 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to measles will get infected.
Those of us on the health care “front lines” during the early days (and beyond) of the coronavirus pandemic did not have the luxury of sheltering in place. We lived in uncertainty and fear about bringing the virus home to loved ones, amid the backdrop of bearing witness to a staggering loss of life. The collective trauma was further amplified as the pandemic became politicized.
Many folks were able to “move on” and even dismiss the loss of life once the COVID-19 vaccine changed the course of the virus’s impact on deaths and hospitalizations.
However, we are now witnessing a collective amnesia about vaccine-preventable disease. We fear this is just the beginning of the public health consequences and loss of life that will result from misinformation and politicization.
As nurse practitioners committed to caring for the well-being of those we serve, we keep asking how to restore trust in science and amplify truth over the daily barrage of false claims.
Pam Currie, Manheim Township
Eileen Sosa, Columbia
Linda Gort, Lancaster
Kathy Hagelgans, Lancaster
(all four certified registered nurse practitioners)