Airing: Episode 482, Week of Saturday February 23, 2019
World-renowned photographer Anne Geddes is known for her whimsical images of babies. Now, in her new portrait series “Protecting Our Tomorrows: Portraits of Meningococcal Disease,” Geddes is using her talents to raise awareness about the life-threatening disease.
Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that spreads through close contact. The onset may look just like the flu, but then unusual symptoms start to appear, like severe headache, neck stiffness and a dark purple rash.
California has been hit hard by meningococcal disease over the last few years. In 2013, there was an outbreak at UC Santa Barbara. And last fall, a San Diego State student died from the disease.
It’s stories like these that inspired Geddes to get involved in raising awareness about the disease and the importance of getting vaccinated. “Protecting Our Tomorrows” features images of survivors from around the world, as well as their families.
Click on the video below to hear more from Geddes. And to see all of the portraits and learn more about meningococcal disease, download the free iBook in the Apple iBook store.