Isaw vaccination save lives for decades

Will Iowa leaders stand up for public health?

I saw vaccination save lives for decades

When I was in high school my best friend Steve's sister got polio and was in a wheelchair the rest of her life.

Herbie, the best baseball player in my town, got bacterial meningitis and died. My mother would not let me walk by his house for the next year.

I personally got diphtheria and almost died. Public Health put a big red sign on our porch telling people not to enter our home, and we were not allowed to leave. Even afterward you were considered a social outcast.

This was life before the advent of life-saving vaccines. Looking for a free mini puzzle? Play the USA TODAY Quick Cross now.

I went on to earn a Ph.D. in microbiology and my medical degree. I s

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