September 7, 2025
As most of you know I am a former public health nurse. The actions of the United States Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. are alarming and anxiety producing for me, and should be for you.
The actions of Gov. DeSantis of Florida make me grateful that we sold our condominium in a little rural town called Parrish, as I do believe that Florida will have numerous epidemics of measles, whooping cough, polio, and other communicable diseases.
Perhaps at this juncture I should explain herd immunity. Herd immunity is a form of indirect protection from an infectious disease that occurs when a large portion of the population becomes immune through vaccination or a previous infection. The results are that the disease has little opportunity to spread. Herd immunity helps to protect individuals who cannot be vaccinated because of allergies, or who have a weak immune system such as a person receiving chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer.
After Gary graduated from Iowa State and we moved back to farm, I worked at Dallas County Hospital in Perry. Dr Deranleau was delivering babies at that time. Every baby, while still in the delivery room, received an antibiotic ointment placed in both eyes to avoid blindness, as bacteria may have been present in the birth canal. Newborns have low Vitamin K levels which assist with blood clotting. A Vitamin K shot was always administered to the newborn to prevent any bleeding in the brain or other body organs.
A current practicing nurse recently asked me what she should do if the parents refused eye ointment and the shot to prevent bleeding. It had happened to her recently, and she indicated the delivery physician said not to administer the medication. She followed the advice but knew it was not in the best interest of the infant.
Public health embodies safe food and drinking water, disaster and emergency responses, rabies testing, teen pregnancy prevention, infectious disease responses, smoking cessation, cancer research, and prevention of chronic illnesses. These type of programs are present and implemented to prevent disease.
Public health is more than providing care for indigent persons. Public health is science. In the past it has been nonpartisan and focuses on programs and policies that make Greene Countians safe.
RFK Jr’s willingness to eliminate the research and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control with no guard rails placed by President Trump or Congress, will become a matter of life or death.
Our current Senator from Iowa, though she has decided not to seek a third term, stated,
“We’re all going to die.” it may come sooner than necessary because of loss of knowledge and implementation of long-standing scientific practices.
Elections continue to have consequences.
VIEW FROM MY WINDOW, is shared by Mary Weaver from rural Rippey.
