Colorado ranks No. 2 in parents declining to vaccinate kids
A new survey puts Colorado second-highest for parents refusing vaccines for their kids, a trend that increasingly troubles state health officials.
Vaccine advocates in Colorado said the Associated Press tally of vaccine refusals reflects an abysmal state rate for preventive shots. They said Colorado’s education system makes it too easy to opt out of shots, and a highly educated population is rejecting vaccinations out of too much bad information.
Parents still cite a fraudulent autism study when refusing shots in Colorado and other states, said Dr. Simon Hambidge, director of general pediatrics at Denver Health Medical Center.
“The number of people exposed to measles, mumps and other viruses because of that deception is truly astounding,” Hambidge said.
The AP survey of states said 7 percent of Colorado kindergarten students took exemptions from immunizations in 2010-11. Alaska had the highest exemption rate, at nearly 9 percent, the AP said.
Mississippi had the lowest exemption rate at essentially 0 percent.
-By Michael Booth. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
And this is why I vaccinate my home-schooled kids
To each their own is the “American” outcry but god forbid anyone be held accountable for their actions. It is the parent’s choice not to vaccinate but it should be mandated what they are held accountable if their choices effect others in a negative way.
I vaccinate my children, and we get the flu shot every year. The flu sucks, and i’m not taking any chances with my children. Vaccinations prevent diseases that can and do kill. Why take the chance.
My kids have had all their vaccinations. Not enough evidence to substantiate going without.
when I was a kid I never got sick UNLESS I got the vaccines.
I really hope that there isn’t some outbreak because of this. My son is vaccinated and is perfectly fine. I had a ton of vaccines in the military, including anthrax and smallpox. I didn’t experience any side effects from those. People just need to educate themselves and vaccinate!
We select and delay, we are happy with our choices and are very educated on our choices.
This is absolutely appalling. If I found out that I was sending a child to a school that allowed children to attend without being vaccinated I would not hesitate to send them to another school. Any parent that chooses to not vaccinate their children is putting all other children at risk. Which is just selfish and uneducated.
@Mandi: Yes, vaccines can make you slightly ill. The flu is worse. I’ve had a friend die from the flu because she hadn’t gotten the vaccine. Vaccine saves lives. Period.
This scares me. Millions and millions of people worldwide get vaccinated. Just because some hippie nut is against vaccines diseases that have been under control for years are showing up again.
Vaccinations are so important. I hadn’t realized just how important they were until I took my History and Science of Disease course. People who are against vaccination REALLY need to be educated with FACTS. The only reason their children aren’t getting sick with old diseases is because of the already-vaccinated population. I’m all for living naturally and organically, but this is one thing where the scientific evidence goes hand in hand with logic.
Exactly, Margaret. Well said.
I did the normal vaccines for my boys but I will not do the flu shots for me or my boys. I grew up for 40 years never getting a flu shot and got the flu a few times in live like we all do. It has been proven that if you get vaccinated from things like the flu and the body cant fight it when a strain comes out they are not getting in the shot that you are worse off. Many millions of people get the flu through out the years and way before my time and work through it. Let the body do what it is supposed to do. My son now who is 10 has never had chicken pox and if he gets them as an adult it could kill him, yet they vaccinate. I didnt get the shot neither did millions of other kids and we are all just fine. I think it is going overboard and just another way for the drug companies to partner up with the government to instill fear and get more money.
I do vaccinate my kids. That said, however, I do *not* vaccinate “on schedule,” and, as such, I have to fill out the paperwork for the schools saying that they aren’t vaccinated.
I have an autoimmune disorder and more and more studies are coming out linking vaccinations to autoimmune disorders. That’s not to say that any one particular vaccination has caused the problems – it’s more the fact that so many chemicals and such are being forced into babies and young children all at once and the immune system doesn’t know how to cope. If you read the studies, you’ll see that it makes perfect sense. It may be a silly precaution on my part to space out vaccinations and not allow more than 1 or 2 at a time, but I’d rather err on the side of caution and hope that my kids won’t be affected by a chronic illness like what I have.
Whether or not the link between vaccinations and things like autoimmune disorders, autism, etc. is validated, there is enough anecdotal evidence to make me a cautious parent. The rise in autoimmune disorders and autism, etc. has almost directly correlated with the rise/increase in vaccinations in the standard pediatric time table.
All of that said, I do know that there are two vaccinations that I do not believe in, nor do I trust – the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine and Gardasil (the so-called cervical cancer vaccine / HPV vaccine). 1) They are too new and long-term results have not been fully gathered. 2) There have been a significant number of reports of severe reactions to the Gardasil vaccine in young girls and when you combine that with the fact that HPV can be prevented by education and safe sex, it’s just not worth the risk in my opinion.
So, that is my $.02 on the subject. Many may disagree with my sentiments but in the end, I am responsible for my children and I would rather err on the side of caution than increase the risk of something irreversible.
You know, I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinions and decisions about their children’s health. I have never received one single vaccination in my life, neither has all of my siblings, nor any of my 3 children or any of my siblings children. I will never get them vaccinated either. I could go on and on about significant reasons why my entire family has chosen to go without vaccines, but I don’t think that decision needs to be justified to people who don’t feel the same. Just because I refuse and don’t agree with vaccines, doesn’t mean I am going to disrespect people who have had theirs.
It’s a public health issue, and this makes me sad.
Children who get vaccines don’t pose a health risk to the public at large. The increase in the number of chidren who are not vaccinated does pose a risk and can impact everyone — not just children but also the elderly, such as grandparents who help with those children. I come down on the side of people being vaccinated. There’s nothing wrong with spacing them out, as long as your children get all their vaccines. And yes, my children (and grandchildren) have all their vaccines, plus we’ve traveled to Africa and gotten many more vaccines that the average American.