PORTLAND/OBSERVER Nov. 26, 1970
R ubella
By WILLIAM DEIZ
Vaccine will prevent tragedy
She was only about six when minute to lnnoculate the sys
I saw her, but I won't forget her. tem 's school children—that's
Her name (not real name) was right the children—against Rue
Toni. She was a pretty girl then, bella. You see pregnant women
I imagine she still is. But she are most often exposed to Rue
had problems. One of them was bella by their own school-aged
that she had to wear glasses that children. Dr. Donnelly says the
were particularly thick - I found theory behind the vaccination
out later that even those glasses campaign is to "build a wall or
didn't really help her blindness. protection around the mother."
And she wore a hearing aid, with The fewer the number of chil
which I was told, she could dren who come down with the
barely make out the sound of a disease, he reasons, the fewer
beating drum. Yet here she was the number of mothers who will
in a school in Vancouver, be exposed.
Wash., trying with others like
The vaccine itself is safe for
her, to learn the rudiments that children and adults alike. How
some day might enable her to ever it poses problems for the
read and to write.
pregnant woman. Health offi
T h e r e was one other thing cials are wary about giving the
about her too—besides an obvi vaccine to a pregnant woman
ous determination not to be held because, like most vaccines,
back—her condition was caused, Ruebella vaccine contains a
doctors say, by the fact that her little bit of the disease it is
mother, when she was pregnant protecting against. And health
with her, was exposed too, and officials fear this "little bit"
caught. Ruebella.
might be enough to cause prob
R u e b e l l a - or
"German lems with the unborn fetus.
M easles" as it is more "popu
They are even hesitant to give
larly" known causes a very the vaccine to women who
mild reaction in adults. Usually MIGHT become pregnant within
they get a temperature, break three months of their shot.
out into a rash, are told to take
So the campaign's primary
it easy for awhile, and pretty thrust is toward children, and
soon it's all over. That's proba toward those who won't be hav
bly why Toni's mother didn't ing children for awhile.
think too much about it at the
Now the problem with chil
time.
dren is that they cannot decide
But to the unborn child Rue to have the shots for them-
bella can be dangerous and selves..Jn fact in most cases,
deadly.
Multnomah
County given the chance to avoid a shot,
Health Officer Dr. John Donnel most kids heartily endorse the
ly says the Ruebella virus at opportunity. Actually the shots
tacks the unborn fetus itself. themselves don't hurt in this
Unless the baby is extremely current campaign, because an
fortunate, he or she is then born electronic "gun" is used that
with some kind of deformity.
f o r c e s the vaccine under the
1965 was the last time the skin by air p ressu re..jio w orri
Portland area has had a major some needles to bother the kids.
outbreak of Ruebella. Health of
But to get the shots kids have
ficials tell us the disease is cy to have written permission from
clical. They also say that we their parents. And it is in this
a re probably in store for anoth area that problems are rising,
er major outbreak this winter.
according to health officials.
What, then, can we do about
They say many parents think
it?
the regular measles vaccine
For one thing the Portland given children when they are
public school system is waging young is good enough to protect
a major campaign right this them against Ruebella. THIS IS
Tid Bits for Living
By R E V . T X . STRAYHAND
During a Harvest Festival (or
Thanksgiving) in India, an old
w idow arrived at her church
with an extraordinarily large
offering of rice—far more than
the poor woman could be ex
pected to afford. The itinerant
pastor of the church did not
know the widow well, but he did
know that she was very poor and
so he asked her If she were
making the offering in gratitude
for some unusual blessing.
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533 N.E. KILLINGSWORTH
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"Y es," r e p l i e d the woman,
"My son was sick and I prom
ised a large gift to God if he
got well."
" A n d your son has recov
ered?" asked the pastor.
The widow paused, "N o," she
said, "He died last week, but I
know now that he is well and in
God's care, for that I am thank
ful."
Did you pause to give thanks
this Thanksgiving Day? Look at
your life in reality and you will
find that whatever your present
state there are others who do
not have It so good. However
you fare there are some who
fare worse. Whatever you do not
have there are some who have
less. Whatever you consider a
blessing you have not received,
you have received many you did
not expect.
M a tth e w Henry, the famous
Bible scholar expressed his
thanks this way when he was
robbed of his purse:
"Let me be thankful first be
cause I was never robbed be
fore, second, although they took
my purse, they did not take my
life, third, because, although
they took my all, it was not
m u c h ; and fourth, because it
was I who was robbed, not I who
robbed." Are you thankful for
the type of person you are?
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Z
Open 8:00 til 4:00
Sat. 8:00 til 1:00
2643 N.E. 7th
533 N.E. KILLINGSWORTH
282-2858
Auto Repair
Tune Ups & Brake Jobs
PAUL JANITORIAL SERVICE
F L O O R C L E A N IN G & J A N IT O R S E R V IC E
IN S U R E D A N D B O N D E D
2 8 2 -0 4 6 8
0 2 3 2 N E 13 th A V E N U E
PO R TLA N D . OREGON
NCT TRUE. Ruebella is a dif
ferent disease, and in fact has
no
relation
to
common
"m easles."
Officials say it has been mis
named "German M easles." The
only proper name for it is Rue
bella.
So as parents of school age
children you can do a lot. It will
cost you no money. All you have
to do is sign the slip of paper
which asks
permission for
your child to receive Ruebella
vaccine. Your child may have
lost the slip. In that case you
s h o u ld Insist that he or she
bring you another one from
school.
For most people, Ruebella it
self is little more than an in
convenience. For kids like Toni,
however, it is a tragedy.
—
O—
The Portland Traffic Safety
Commission reminds drivers
t h a t carbon monoxide is an
odorless, silent killer. Make
sure your exhaust system is in
good shape as winter driving
begins. Always open your car
window a crack when you're
driving.
TE LL CUR
ADVERTISERS
YCL SAW THEIR
a D IN THE
PCRT u l ND
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