Vaccinations were a hot topic in school communities of Carroll County, Maryland, back in the summer of 1872, Kevin Dayhoff writes in The Carroll County Times.
A public notice titled “Vaccination in Public Schools” appeared in the local newspaper in mid-August, just as families prepared for the new school year.
“At a meeting of the Board of County School Commissioners held on July 1st, 1872, the following resolution was adopted: ‘Resolved that the Board will hold teachers responsible to the extent of a forfeiture of their certificate in the event that any pupil who has not been vaccinated shall introduce the disease of Small-pox into the public schools of this county,’” the notice read.
Archival records also show that during the 1882–1883 academic year, many schools closed for extended periods to protect children from smallpox and measles outbreaks.
Editorial
Despite recent skepticism toward vaccines from some federal leaders, students today should still be vaccinated against several contagious diseases — not only to protect themselves, but also to protect classmates, teachers, and others in the school community.
Dr. Leana Wen, former health director for the City of Baltimore, addressed these concerns in a June Washington Post piece, written not long after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr dismissed the entire CDC Expert Advisory Panel on Vaccines.
For those who have lost confidence in federal health messaging, Dr Wen recommends turning to credible non-governmental sources for vaccine information, including:
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Medical Association
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
- The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center
- The University of Minnesota’s Vaccine Integrity Project
- The Straight Shot by the Center for Science in the Public Interest
“These are just some of the independent resources that patients and clinicians can continue to rely on. It’s a relief that they exist and that dedicated scientists and health professionals have stepped up their efforts to provide clear, credible guidance,” Dr Wen wrote. “But the fact that they have to do so points to the erosion of trust in the CDC and federal scientific leadership that was once considered the gold standard for health information. That trust will not be easily rebuilt.”
Even in 1872, public schools recognized the danger of contagious diseases and the value of vaccination. That lesson remains urgent today.