A Vaccine Carol: A story of prevention past, present, and future

Many years ago, in a small but lively Tennessee town, lived a man named Harold. Harold was deeply skeptical and had seen many things in his day. Whenever anyone wanted to talk about vaccines, he would wave them off, saying “Bah! Mumbo jumbo!” He did not trust vaccines at all. He would say, “All I need to keep me healthy is good food, enough sleep, and a strong immune system. There are too many vaccines these days. It’s all mumbo jumbo!”

Harold loved the holidays! Harold’s daughter Sarah always came home from college to visit during her winter break. One evening after dinner, Sarah said, “Dad, tomorrow morning let’s go and get our flu shots.” Many of his family and friends had started visiting the local pharmacy to get flu shots, but not Harold.

“Mumbo jumbo!” he said.

Emily Delikat, MPH, CPH is Director of Tennessee Families for Vaccines.