Parents: Vaccinate your children now

It’s a proven fact, but one that many people still choose to either ignore or irrationally dispute:|

It’s a proven fact, but one that many people still choose to either ignore or irrationally dispute: Vaccinations prevent the spread of dangerous and sometimes deadly diseases.

A multi-state measles outbreak this year, believed to have started at Disneyland in December, has infected nearly 200 people across 17 states. And it keeps on spreading.

Measles, a highly contagious virus, starts with a fever and is followed by a cough, runny nose and a rash that spreads across the body. In severe cases, pneumonia and encephalitis can occur and sometimes death. It’s one of several childhood diseases, including mumps and rubella, which were nearly eradicated entirely in the U.S. when children began receiving vaccines for their prevention several decades ago.

Such well-established disease prevention practices are based on “herd immunity,” meaning that the vaccination of a very large portion of a population provides a measure of protection for individuals who have not developed immunity. According to the Center for Disease Control, at least 90 percent and preferably 95 percent or more should be vaccinated against measles and other childhood diseases to effectively halt their spread.

But here in Petaluma and some other parts of the North Bay, a disturbing number of parents are pursuing the “personal belief exemption” (PBE) option for their children, refusing some or all of the inoculations due, in many cases, to fear, ignorance, or a distrust of science or medicine. Under existing California law, some children are allowed to skip immunizations if a parent submits a PBE at enrollment, which must be signed off on by a medical professional. As a result, many schools are reporting only partial vaccination rates, with some schools reporting alarmingly high rates of unvaccinated children.

Data from the California Department of Public Health show that roughly half the schools in Petaluma have above 90 percent vaccination rates versus those that have below that percentage.

According to state data obtained recently by Argus-Courier reporter Annie Sciacca, Petaluma’s Live Oak Charter School reports that just 33 percent of its kindergarten students are vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. Wilson Elementary reports that only 71 percent of its students are vaccinated. Petaluma City Schools’ elementary district overall had approximately 15 percent of parents signing PBEs to not vaccinate children for the 2013-14 school year, for a vaccination rate around 85 percent, well below the margin needed for herd immunity.

Despite a preponderance of scientific data proving that vaccinating children is a safe and effective way to avoid the spread of serious and sometimes deadly viruses, many parents are still choosing not to vaccinate their children. Some wrongly believe that vaccines are related to the development of autism - a connection that has been proven false. British researcher Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s fraudulent study in 1998 that connected the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine to autism has been totally discredited and retracted in the journal in which it appeared originally. Wakefield lost his medical license. The most prominent autism advocacy group debunked the research.

Still, misinformed people continue to believe what they want. Just yesterday, in a Press Democrat letter to the editor, a Sebastopol mother opined that “there is still a possible link (between autism and vaccinations) that warrants investigation.” Sadly, this woman is not alone.

People who oppose vaccination are the primary cause of the recent measles outbreak, according to health officials. They were also the cause for Sonoma County receiving the dubious distinction, last fall, of having the highest per capita rate of whooping cough cases in the entire state. At the time, the incidence rate of pertussis in Sonoma topped the list statewide with more than 137 cases per 100,000 persons.

By not vaccinating their children, parents are not only putting their own children at risk, but other children as well.

Shockingly, some parents still choose not to immunize their children against polio, a devastating disease still prevalent in parts of Asia and Africa and only an airplane flight away from potential infection.

Parents must not be allowed to enroll their unvaccinated children in public schools to begin getting the problem under control. California lawmakers have proposed sensible legislation that would eliminate the PBEs and most other exemptions that allow parents to avoid mandatory vaccinations for their children.

We urge Petaluma’s legislators, including Assemblyman Marc Levine and State Senator Lois Wolk, to move swiftly to see that such legislation is enacted soon.

In the meantime, and with the next outbreak of measles or whooping cough on the way, we strongly encourage parents of unvaccinated children to get them inoculated as soon as possible.

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