Bobby Cannon

A radiology technician looks at a chest X-ray of a child suffering from flu symptoms at Upson Regional Medical Center in Thomaston, Ga., Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. The bad flu season has contributed to the rural hospital's 25 percent increase in emergency room patients from a year ago. A government report out Friday shows 1 of every 13 visits to the doctor last week was for fever, cough and other symptoms of the flu. That ties the highest level seen in the U.S. during swine flu in 2009.

Oregon legislators are currently debating a bill that would end non-medical vaccine exemptions and require children to be up to date on all required vaccinations in order to attend public school. The Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a measles outbreak and I fear that my home state (go Utes!) is next. Utah is one of 12 states that have seen a rise in the number of “philosophical-belief” non-medical vaccine exemptions during the last 10 years.

In response to Josh Nelson’s “It’s time to make medical school free” (Tribune, Dec. 22), I agree with a lot Nelson said in his commentary, but not all. Medical school is expensive, but I do not believe money is or should be the biggest deterrent for attending medical school. I am about to finish my second year of medical school. I spent $56,000 this year on tuition and recently another $1,200 registering for board exams in June.