Page 22 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 7, 2025 COMMENTARY | FROM PAGE 21 We follow Social Distancing Guidelines! widespread vaccination has resulted in “herd immunity” that eff ectively eliminated the virus from the United States. Yet despite these safeguards and documented positive outcomes, some vaccine skeptics now demand measures that could unravel decades of progress. For instance, they misleadingly claim that unlike other drugs, vaccines don’t undergo traditional placebo-controlled trials. In reality, new vaccines are tested in the same way that advanced new treatments for cancer and other dangerous diseases are. They’re compared against a “control” group of volunteers who’ve received the existing standard of care, rather than a placebo “sugar pill.” It’d be deeply unethical to give half the patients in a clinical trial for a cancer treatment a placebo inAmerican Exterior and Window Corporation Contact us for all of your home improvement projects and necessities. Call Jeff or Bob Toll Free: 1-888-744-1756 617-699-1782 / www.americanexteriorma.com Windows, Siding, Roofing, Carpentry & More! All estimates, consultations or inspections completed by MA licensed supervisors. *Over 50 years experience. *Better Business Bureau Membership. Insured and Registered Complete Financing Available. No Money Down. 855-GO-4-GLAS Frank Berardino MA License 31811 Steps Stoops Rebuilt or Repaired Chimney Rebuilt or Repaired House Foundation Leaks Repaired All Basement Repairs Chimney Inspection Drainage Masonry Repairs Window Installation & Repairs Drywall & Carpentry Waterproofing • 24 - Hour Service • Emergency Repairs BERARDINO Plumbing & Heating Residential & Commercial Service Gas Fitting • Drain Service 617.699.9383 Senior Citizen Discount The Kid Does Clean Outs From 1 item to 1,000 * Basements * Homes * Backyards * Commercial Buildings The cheapest prices around! Call Eric: (857) 322-2854 jection containing no actual medicine -- thus potentially condemning them to serious illness or even death. The proper trial question is how a new treatment matches up against existing treatments. The same is true for new vaccines. In testing a new vaccine for polio, we can’t let half the participants go unvaccinated, thus exposing them for life to the ravages of the disease. We have to determine whether the candidate vaccine works better than what’s currently available. Already, we’re seeing the consequences of rising vaccine skepticism: measles outbreaks in previously well-protected communities, and the return of diseases we had nearly eliminated. We need to protect against new threats as well. As a physician, I have a front row seat to our fi ght against an ever-growing number of diseases. We’ve had great success developing vaccines to protect against these evolving threats -- but we can’t let public distrust undermine these eff orts. The path forward requires rebuilding trust through honest dialogue. We must acknowledge that the handling of the COVID-19 public health emergency damaged public confi dence -- while also defending the scientifi c and ethical foundations of routine vaccination. Dr. Wolfgang Klietmann is a former clinical pathologist and medical microbiologist at Harvard Medical School. This article originally ran in the Washington Examiner. Clean-Outs! We take and dispose from cellars, attics, garages, yards, etc. Call Robert at: 781-844-0472
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