Getting sick often is part of growing up. But it’s very easy to forget that before the advent of vaccines for many dangerous illnesses, this rite of passage had a grave quality to it. When diseases like diphtheria or pertussis were common, they weren’t simply infections that ran their course and left behind a vague memory of an unpleasant time at home. They could leave behind physiological scars that people carried with them the rest of their lives. Epidemics could blow through communities and turn them upside down, almost like a natural disaster might. We may be returning alarmingly quickly to that kind of life. Hundreds of cases of measles have broken out across the country, fueled by pockets of people who have decided to forgo vaccination. And though these outbreaks have not blown up into a full-fledged crisis — despite the death of a 6-year-old boy — they feel like a dangerous relic of a bygone era. In a new essay for Opinion, Dr. Elena Conis, a historian of medicine at the University of California, Berkeley, shows us not simply how vaccines have spared us the sheer numbers of infections that can bludgeon the country; she also illustrates how vaccines saved us from the ugly, horrendous reality of facing these diseases up close and battling with the possibility that children may deal with their effects the rest of their lives. Here’s what we’re focusing on today:Games Here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times.
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