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Growing number of parents refuse vaccines
Officials say most children in county immunized in '07
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Photo by Dana Rene Bowler
While some parents are choosing not to vaccinate children, Sheridan Way School in Ventura has had no requests to opt out of required vaccinations.
Photo by Eric Parsons
"I know for certain if we vaccinate, we're taking a risk of side effects that could be damaging," said Coreen Costello, who home-schools daughters Shayne, left, and Tatum in Agoura Hills.
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Coreen Costello, a mother of five, decided to not vaccinate her younger children.
Like a growing number of parents, Costello does not want to expose her kids to risks she says she believes are associated with the vaccinations children routinely receive before they start kindergarten.
"I know for certain if we vaccinate, we're taking a risk of side effects that could be damaging. I don't know for certain they'll be exposed to disease," said Costello, who home schools her children in Agoura Hills. "I think coming into contact with those diseases is a smaller risk."
In 2007, about 98.4 percent of Ventura County children had been fully or almost fully immunized by the time they started public-school kindergarten. In private schools, the figure was 96.2 percent.
Some children received exemptions for medical reasons, but more were exempted because of their parents' personal beliefs.
"The sense we have is we're seeing more resistance to vaccination," said Dr. Robert Levin, the county's chief health officer. "Our sense is it's related to concerns about side effects."
California is one of about 20 states nationwide that allow parents to refuse vaccinations because of personal beliefs. Statewide, about 1.5 percent of students in public and private schools combined have used that exemption, according to the state health department.
In Ventura County, private schools had a higher percentage of personal-belief exemptions than public schools, 3.7 percent to 1.3 percent.
Like Costello, some parents request exemptions because of side-effects concerns. Others worry about the pain a series of shots causes. Still others are concerned about a possible link between vaccines and autism, even though the connection "is not based on any sound evidence," Levin said.
Vaccinations protect children from some of the world's deadliest diseases, such as measles, which is returning to some parts of the world, including the United States and England, Levin said.
When parents resist vaccinations, "they're exposing their own children to being a victim should an outbreak occur," he said.
Still, the number of local parents who choose not to vaccinate their children appears to be increasing, officials said. In the Oxnard School District, for example, 23 students received exemptions this year, said spokeswoman Micheline Miglis. That's up from about three last year, and one the year before.
Last year, only 91.6 percent of students in the Ojai Unified School District were fully or almost fully immunized by kindergarten.
Summer Royle is an Ojai mom who chose to have her three kids get some vaccinations but not others. She is particularly concerned about live vaccines and children receiving too many vaccinations at one time. Such concerns are one reason the family moved from Santa Paula to Ojai, she said.
"The Ojai lifestyle, the belief system, is more natural based," Royle said. "We believe the body was designed to take care of itself."
Other school districts, including Conejo Valley Unified and Ventura Unified, have not reported increases in unvaccinated children, administrators said.
Still, some local doctors say parents are asking more questions about whether vaccinations are safe. In some cases, doctors have different answers.
Dr. Robin Bernhoft, who practices environmental and functional medicine in Ojai, leaves the decision to parents but questions the value of vaccinations himself.
Functional medicine focuses on the causes and prevention of disease rather than symptoms.
"Parents are concerned," he said. "There's surprisingly little evidence they (vaccinations) do much."
Dr. Michael Tushla, a family doctor in Santa Paula, gives parents information on vaccinations, tells them he follows national guidelines and advises them on the consequences if they choose not to vaccinate.
"The ones you worry about at night are the ones who didn't" get vaccines, he said. "They're at risk of disease because they didn't get vaccinated."
Posted by icanilluminateu on September 7, 2008 at 7:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"The Ojai lifestyle, the belief system, is more natural based," Royle said. "We believe the body was designed to take care of itself."
Oh brother! I guess there is no point in getting vaccinated against Polio, Diphtheria, or whooping cough. The body will take care of itself - right!
Posted by ojaibabe on September 7, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let us ask the Santa Monica Unified School District what happened a few years ago when a certain pediatrician encouraged parents not to vaccinate: a serious case of whooping cough ran thru the schools. There had not been a breakout of it for decades.
Posted by sweettuth on September 7, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here's a little tidbit about polio:
The last cases of naturally occurring paralytic polio in the United States were in 1979, when an outbreak occurred among the Amish in several Midwestern states. From 1980 through 1999, there were 152 confirmed cases of paralytic polio cases reported. Of the 152 cases, eight cases were acquired outside the United States and imported. The last imported case caused by wild poliovirus into the United States was reported in 1993. The remaining 144 cases were vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) caused by live oral polio vaccine (OPV). Source: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/p...
Sounds to me like there is a ZERO threat of a child getting Polio. Ingredients in the Polio vaccine are: Fetal Cow Blood, Human albumin, MSG, Formaldehyde, 2-phenoxyethanol, Monkey kidney cells (SV40)
A little info on the DTP vaccine: Some three and a half million American children receive pertussis vaccine every year and most react mildly. But an unknown number react more severely with high-pitched screaming, persistent crying for 3 or more hours, fever over 103F, excessive sleepiness, convulsions or collapse/shock that may lead to either death or permanent brain damage. Source: http://www.909shot.com/Diseases/whoop...
DPT vaccine ingredients: Each 0.5-mL dose is
formulated to contain 25 Lf of diphtheria toxoid, 10 Lf of tetanus toxoid, 25 mcg of inactivated
PT, 25 mcg of FHA, and 8 mcg of pertactin.
Each 0.5-mL dose also contains 4.5 mg of NaCl, and aluminum adjuvant (not more than
0.625 mg aluminum by assay). Each dose also contains ≤100 mcg of residual formaldehyde and
≤100 mcg of polysorbate 80 (Tween 80).m
Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...
EDUCATE BEFORE YOU VACCINATE! http://thinktwice.com/
Posted by momofsix on September 7, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It is important to note that parents must have more information to make the proper decisions whether to immunize or not. Children who do receive the varicella vaccine are not guaranteed immunity – nor are the effects of the vaccine guaranteed to last.
According to the Centers for Disease Control - No vaccine is 100% effective in preventing disease.
If a vaccinated person does get varicella, it is usually a very mild case with fewer lesions (usually less than 50), mild or no fever, and a quicker recovery. Persons with lesions, however, are infectious.
The length of protection/immunity remains unknown. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/v...
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Other vaccines that should cause parents to get more information:
Hepatitis B - a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Infected by contact with infectious blood, semen, and other body fluids from having sex with an infected person, sharing contaminated needles to inject drugs, or from an infected mother to her newborn. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/
HPV - Genital HPV is passed on most often during sex. Very rarely, a pregnant woman can pass HPV to her baby during delivery.
The vaccine can now protect females from four types of HPV. The vaccine is recommended for 11 and 12 year-old girls, or girls and women age 13 through 26 who have not yet been vaccinated or completed the vaccine series.
Even women who got the vaccine when they were younger need regular cervical cancer screening because the vaccine does not protect against all cervical cancers. The only sure way to prevent HPV is to avoid all sexual activity. There is no treatment for the virus itself, but a healthy immune system can usually fight off HPV naturally.
http://www.cdc.gov/STD/HPV/STDFact-HP...
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It is most important to take note – the Hep B and HPV diseases are primarily contracted through sexual contact. Parents should question then when the Hep B immunization is scheduled prior to entry into Kindergarten when children are 5 years old. The HPV vaccine is only required for females. Females do not self infect. There are no recommendations for immunization of males.
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Sandy Mintz provides important information in her article, Evidence Against Vaccines: Why Parents Should Be Given a Choice (http://www.alaskawellness.com/jul-aug...)
Oh and those of us that "got" chicken pox as children are at increased risk of shingles as adults because of our reduction of exposure to cases of chicken pox which act as boosters to our immunity!
I hope it makes everyone think first and be informed – information is the best immunization there is!
Posted by fmilley on September 7, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My only child, Ryan died from a vaccine preventable form of meningococcal meningitis.
As more and more parents op out of vaccines for their children we are sure to see return of epidemics of deadly debilitating diseases like those in countries today where vaccination rates are low. Countries where thousands of children die each day from diseases that could have been prevented.
Had Ryan been vaccinated, I would not have had to stand by and watch him die a horrible death. Ryan went from perfect health to blood coming from every orifice of his body and death within 14 hours .
I will never be called mom again, be a parent at his wedding or hold a grandchild. His name and photo reside on a cold piece of granite in a cemetery. The pain of his needless death lives in my broken heart.
No infant, child, teen or adult should have to die from a vaccine preventable disease.
I along with other parents who have lost children to meningitis, pertussis, chicken pox, pneumococcal disease, influenza and other vaccine preventable diseases can prove what took our children.
Can those who claim the dangers of vaccines truly, factually , scientifically prove what they say? Or is it merely speculation?
Will they be responsible when other parents listen to them and refuse to vaccinate and their children are debilitated or worse die from a vaccine preventable disease?
Everyday, I regret the fact I was not aware of a vaccine that could have prevented Ryan's death. Parents are aware now.
Facts: One simply has to walk around an old cemetery, see the countless infants, children and teens buried there to see the value of vaccines. Vaccine preventable diseases can kill and debilitate. Vaccines save lives.
Parents should research for themselves the true proven facts, science and talk to their health care provider before opting out of immunizations and risking the life of their child.
Frankie Milley, Mom to Ryan
Posted by ReadBooks on September 8, 2008 at 3:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Vaccines don't cause serious problems. This has been proven over and over and the correlation between autism and vaccinations upon further research showed no causation.
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