S.C. Wise to Follow Lead of George Washington on Vaccinations
Paul Hyde/S.C. Daily Gazette
In February 1777, Gen. George Washington faced a catastrophe.
His soldiers were dying. British muskets and bayonets were only part of the problem. The greater menace was disease — specifically smallpox, one of the deadliest scourges of the 18th century.
If Washington hoped to win independence for the colonies, he first had to keep his army alive.
The choice was clear. Washington ordered the mass inoculation of his troops against smallpox.
There was no time to dawdle. Many historians estimate that disease caused between 60 percent and 90 percent of deaths in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Battlefield casualties, by contrast, were a minority.
Tens of thousands of soldiers fell ill, and outbreaks could cripple entire units. Smallpox alone threatened the survival of the army — and, by extension, the Revolution itself.
Difficult times called for decisive leadership.
Washington did not waste time navel-gazing over “medical freedom.” He did not consult a “Freedom Caucus.” Washington was the Freedom Caucus.
Just call him vaccinator-in-chief.
On Feb. 5, 1777 (249 years ago this week), Washington wrote to Continental Congress President John Hancock and to his medical director, Dr. William Shippen Jr., ordering that “the troops shall be inoculated.”
It was a bold move. Inoculation carried risks, but Washington understood that inaction was far more dangerous.
His decision — a public health initiative, no less — may well have saved the future United States. It certainly contributed to victory.
There is a lesson here for South Carolina today: As we grapple with the spread of anti-vaccine sentiment — a trend that has contributed directly to the record-breaking measles outbreak in our state — we might ask a simple question: WWGD? What would George do?
Vaccination, including mandatory vaccination in times of crisis, has a distinguished history in our nation, stretching back to the Founding Father.
In this 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence, it’s striking to recognize that vaccination against preventable disease is as much of an American tradition as freedom of speech and heroic public leadership.
That history may come as a surprise to some state senators who last year proposed banning future vaccine mandates in South Carolina, as if legislators could foresee future pandemics.
Gov. Henry McMaster rightly rejected that approach, warning that the bill would compromise the state’s ability to respond effectively to public health emergencies.
“As a general rule,” McMaster wrote, “placing overbroad restrictions on the authority of public health officials, law enforcement officers, first responders, and emergency management professionals responding to emerging threats and disasters — whether public health or otherwise — is a bad idea.
Unfortunately, that was not the only example of anti-vaccine mischief at the Statehouse last year. Even more troubling was a Senate committee’s rejection of McMaster’s nominee to lead South Carolina’s newly separate Department of Public Health, Dr. Edward Simmer, who continues in the role on an interim basis.
As a result, the agency remains without a permanent director at a moment of genuine crisis.
The measles outbreak centered in Spartanburg County has escalated into the largest outbreak the nation has seen in many years.
On Tuesday, the public health agency reported 876 total confirmed cases statewide since September.
At least 800 of those cases are among unvaccinated individuals — a stark illustration of the consequences of vaccine hesitancy.
Measles is among the most contagious diseases known to medicine. It can cause pneumonia, encephalitis — swelling of the brain that can result in permanent damage — and death, particularly among young children and people with compromised immune systems.
Before widespread vaccination, measles killed hundreds of Americans every year and hospitalized tens of thousands.
Thanks to vaccination programs in the latter half of the 20th century, measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. That historic achievement is now at risk — with South Carolina and Texas playing major roles.
The cause is declining vaccination rates.
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is about 97 percent effective after two doses and has a long record of safety and effectiveness. But its success depends on widespread participation.
Public health experts agree that roughly 95 percent vaccination coverage is necessary to maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks.
When vaccination rates fall below that threshold — as they have in parts of South Carolina — measles exploits the gap, spreading through classrooms, churches, and households with painful speed.
This is where state leadership becomes indispensable.
That includes gubernatorial candidates who have scarcely mentioned the measles crisis. Our next governor will need to be decisive and outspoken in responding to disinformation and protecting public health.
State leaders should double down on clear, evidence-based public health policies: reinforcing school-entry vaccination requirements and partnering with trusted local voices — pediatricians, faith leaders and community advocates — to counter misinformation.
Anti-vaccine activism has already caused serious harm in South Carolina. The state’s lower-than-average COVID vaccination rate likely contributed to South Carolina having the nation’s 10th-highest COVID death rate in 2021, the pandemic’s deadliest year.
Vaccination is not merely a personal choice. It is a collective safeguard.
George Washington understood this truth nearly 250 years ago. In a moment of national peril, he chose science, leadership and collective responsibility over hesitation and ideology.
South Carolina would do well to remember his example.
WWGD?
Paul Hyde is a longtime journalist and teacher in the Upstate. He worked 18 years for the Greenville News as a columnist, editorial writer, education reporter and arts writer. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Clemson and Harvard universities.
