by Rich Wandschneider | Dec 11, 2024 | George Washington, Indian population, Marcus Whitman, measles, mumps, smallpox, vaccination, vaccine, Whitman massacre
A friend texted me to say that she “got whooping cough for Christmas.” I’m 82 and don’t remember knowing anyone with whooping cough. Maybe it was around when I was young, but my own disease related memories are chicken pox—mom taking me to the neighbor’s house to...
by Rich Wandschneider | Mar 13, 2024 | Indian population, indigenous americans, Indigenous Continent, Indigenous population of America, infectious diseases, measles, Nex Perce history, Nez Perce, whitman
The recent upsurge in measles cases in Florida and the US in general has doctors and public health officials scratching heads. Apparently, there is a big difference in infection rates when the percentage of children who receive the MMR—Measles, Mumps,...
by Rich Wandschneider | Apr 3, 2020 | Blackfeet, Chuck Sams, fur trade and smallpox, measles, Shoshone, smallpox, smallpox epidemic of 1780s, umatilla reservation, Willamette Valley tribes
Chuck Sams is the incident commander for coronavirus response on the Umatilla Reservation. He recently told Oregon Public Radio’s “Think Out Loud” that “The tribes [Umatilla, Cayuse, Walla Walla] have faced pandemic before; our last one ended in around 1860, but that...
