In 1837, the Mandan tribe of the north plains was wiped out by smallpox. The disease was spread by hospital blankets which were meant to be burned but somehow ended up with the Mandan. Nobody is really sure why.
He appears to be commenting on the fact that, despite horrendous rates of juvenile diabetes, the Governors of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana refuse to provide even a whisper of healthcare.
Personally, I don’t care what happens to them.
It’s like they say in everybody’s favorite holiday movie:
“Every time a kid in Mississippi loses a foot to diabetes, an angel gets it’s wings.”
He should know better than to disturb somebody while they do their NCAA brackets.