Vaccination Exemptions Among Calif. Kindergartners Are Up 16%

The number of California kindergarten students who have not been vaccinated because of their parents' beliefs or concerns has increased by 15% over the past year, according to data from the state Department of Public Health, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Background

According to the Bee, the data come as California is in the midst of a statewide measles outbreak (Reese, Sacramento Bee, 3/30). As of March 28, 49 cases of measles had been confirmed in the state this year, compared with just four at the same time in 2013 (DPH release, 3/28).

Medical experts say the outbreak has been caused in large part by parents deciding not to vaccinate their children.

Details of DPH Report

The DPH report found that more than 16,000 children entered primary school in California this year without vaccinations because of their parents' personal beliefs, a rate that has more than doubled over the past six years.

Specifically, the report noted that parents in rural and wealthy counties choose not to vaccinate their children at higher rates than parents in large urban areas.

For instance, the report found that:

• 20% of parents in Nevada County filed personal belief exemptions for children entering kindergarten this year, nearly seven times higher than the rate of exemptions statewide; and
• 5.4% of parents in Sacramento County filed personal belief exemptions, the highest rate among large counties in the state.

Reasons for Increase in Exemptions

Some parents opt to not have their children vaccinated because they believe the shots can lead to autism or because receiving the vaccination is against their religion. Others might not be able to afford the vaccine or have adequate health care access.

A new state law that went into effect this year requires that parents visit a health care professional and be told about vaccines and disease before opting to forego the vaccinations.

However, Serena Clayton, executive director of the California School-Based Health Alliance, said that individuals in more-affluent areas who do not want to vaccinate their children can more easily get physicians to sign an exemption form.

Reaction

Mark Sawyer, a specialist in pediatric diseases at UC-San Diego, said the rate at which parents are not vaccinating their children is "very concerning" to experts in the vaccine field. He added, "Do vaccines cause autism? The answer is no. Do they compromise the immune system? The answer is no."

According to the Bee, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization both support vaccinating children (Sacramento Bee, 3/30).