To the editor:

Surely, I am too old to be writing letters to the editor. But, maybe not — maybe my age can be trusted as wisdom on this important subject.

This is a subject of most importance — immunizations against contagious diseases.

Aw, the word diseases — against ease, so says Noah Webster.

The diseases I speak of now are becoming a national question — do we or should we immunize against them?

Again, because of my age and profession, I speak from experience.

I am 84 years old, a retired registered nurse and a survivor who benefited from vaccinations.

My earliest memory of diseases is standing in line at our local public health clinic to be vaccinated against polio. This came at a time when children were being kept alive in iron lung machines.

Somewhere along the line, I received the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunization.

Here’s another one of Webster’s words — immunization — to make one immune.

Every 10 years, the tetanus vaccination kept me from developing rabies.

For many years, the flu vaccine has kept me well, and the pneumonia vaccine has kept me out of the hospital.

Do we give too many vaccines? Maybe we do. Look up the schedule from the Cleveland Clinic — it is a bit scary.

Maybe we should just choose the few most common ones and administer the others on a case-by-case reason of exposure.

I want to hear from public health professionals (doctors, nurses and practitioners.)

Speak up, people.

Linda McNeil

Steubenville