January 6, 2013: "...particularly...among the wealthy and those who send their children to Waldorf schools..." the trend of not vaccinating young children is gathering strength in the Sacramento region, according to a story in yesterday's Sacramento Bee by Diana Lambert and Phillip Reese.
The number of kindergartners in the four-county region with "personal-belief exemptions" – which allow them to skip a state-required vaccination – increased by 34 percent during the past four years, from 884 to 1,197, according to the state Dept. of Public Health.
That's similar to the 37 percent increase in waivers statewide over the same period.
Kasirye said fewer parents are vaccinating their children because of misinformation on adverse affects, and because disease rates are so low they don't realize there is a risk.
Large groups of unimmunized people put the community in danger of an outbreak like the recent measles outbreaks in Europe, she said.
Leaders of a growing movement against vaccination disagree. They contend that shots contain dangerous ingredients and may cause autism, Crohn's disease and cancer, among other things....
...at roughly 50 schools, at least triple that rate of kindergartner parents chose not to vaccinate their children, according to a Bee review of data from the state Department of Public Health.
The 50 schools are mostly located in wealthier parts of the region. Parents in Placer and El Dorado counties were twice as likely not to vaccinate their children as Sacramento County parents... Students at these schools represent less than 10 percent of the kindergartners in the region, but roughly 50 percent of kindergartners who lack vaccinations. The highest rates of unvaccinated kindergartners [are at] Waldorf schools, where more than 40 percent of students have not been immunized...
In 2014, it will be more more difficult for families to opt out of vaccinations... AB 2109...requires parents to first get a signed document from a doctor saying they have received information about the risks and benefits of vaccines.The bill... will exempt parents who choose not to vaccinate because of religious beliefs.
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