"It was February when measles killed 6-year-old Kayley Fehr and it was April when measles killed 8-year old Daisy Hildebrand and it was May when measles brought the man from the Agency to the health-food store in Seminole, Texas. The man was a 53-year-old highly credentialed, chatty bald former Brooklynite physician given to posting photos of his bare abs; he had once appeared on the cover of a magazine in a pin-striped suit and a shirt unbuttoned to reveal a leather harness over his chest."
"He did not spend much time in Texas, but he did have a tattoo of Jesus on his stomach, and he did find many of the people he met in Texas awesome. He was one of a handful of directors at the Agency who reported directly to the chief medical officer; specifically, he was, as he called it, the vaccine guy."
Measles killed several children in West Texas across months, prompting a senior Agency vaccine director to travel to Seminole to understand local barriers. The director, a well-known, flamboyant physician nicknamed Vaccine Guy, drove long distances and observed community behaviors like purchasing dye-free candies. Conventional outreach through trusted local messengers failed as anti-vaccine advocates had already influenced the community. A midwife feared ostracism for supporting vaccines. Employees of Children's Health Defense were present locally and even stayed in the same hotel as Agency staff, complicating efforts to reach resistant Mennonite families.
Read at Intelligencer
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]