but vaccinations of humans, pets, and other animals
are much in demand for a variety of
diseases—
chickenpox, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis A and B,
influenza measles, meningitis, mumps,
papillomavirus, pertusis, polio, rabies, rubella,
smallpox, tetanus, tuberculosis, typhoid,
varicella, and yellow fever.
If a body were never exposed,
it wouldn’t develop defenses
against the conditions that we encounter
in everyday existence.
Birds defecate in trees;
animals urinate on ivy;
bugs crawl over dirt and onto lettuce;
flies breed in dung before walking on the back of your
neck.
More bacteria can thrive
on the toe of a cockroach
than angels who dance on the head of a pin.
It is no great wonder
if we do not dare to eat a peach
or remove our shoes to walk in the sand.
Our culture in American
is overly protective,
but we cannot calm incapacitating fears
of bugs, grubs, worms, and spiders
with our antiseptic mouthwashes, disinfectant lotions,
antibacterial sprays, germicidal soaps,
surgical masks in subways, chloramine in tap water,
insecticides, and fungicides.
No wonder that some parents fear
that subjecting their children
to a barrage of innoculations
would not be innocuous.
Cayenne
In Somalia,
teaching hygene to tribal children,
the health worker needs to convince them
that things they cannot see
can yet harm them,
so the trick is to put
a little cayenne in a small bowl,
have them rub a finger in it and wipe it off
until it is all gone,
then ask
if they would touch the finger to an eye—
No, no, no, no!
According to the United Nations, improving sanitation
reduces cholera, worms, diarrhoea, pneumonia, malnutrition, and
other maladies that cause disease and the death of millions of
people. In 2008, a child died every 20 seconds because of poor
sanitation. Improving sanitation for a people improves their
economy, their dignity and social development, and their
environment.
The developed world has overused antimicrobial agents,
breeding drug-resistant microbes to the point where it is barely
able to sterilize hospital operating rooms. And we have no cure
for herpes or dengue fever.
Microorganisms (bacteria, fungi including yeast, algae,
protozoa, rotifers planarians, and virus) are not all bad; they
also ferment our beer and wine and give our cheese and yogurt
their distinctive tastes and textures. The Rhizobium bacteria
convert nitrogen to a form that can be used by plants. The
Penicillium fungi gave us our first anibiotic to combat harmful
microbes.
According to the United Nations, improving sanitation reduces cholera, worms, diarrhoea, pneumonia, malnutrition, and other maladies that cause disease and the death of millions of people. In 2008, a child died every 20 seconds because of poor sanitation. Improving sanitation for a people improves their economy, their dignity and social development, and their environment.
The developed world has overused antimicrobial agents, breeding drug-resistant microbes to the point where it is barely able to sterilize hospital operating rooms. And we have no cure for herpes or dengue fever.
Microorganisms (bacteria, fungi including yeast, algae, protozoa, rotifers planarians, and virus) are not all bad; they also ferment our beer and wine and give our cheese and yogurt their distinctive tastes and textures. The Rhizobium bacteria convert nitrogen to a form that can be used by plants. The Penicillium fungi gave us our first anibiotic to combat harmful microbes.
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