News & Events

Oct 052011

Vaccinating Kids Must Be Priority

Vaccinating Kids Must Be Priority

Oct. 5, 2011 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

On movie screens, scientists race to find a vaccine for a mysterious virus in "Contagion." In real life, we're in danger of potentially deadly outbreaks from familiar diseases for which we have vaccines.

Too many parents are failing to get their kids properly immunized. A new survey, appearing in the November issue of Pediatrics journal, found that 13 percent of parents had not gotten their children vaccinated on schedule.

Some delayed, going too long between doses or waiting until their children were older than recommended. Some refused certain vaccines, and a few (2 percent) rejected them completely.

Whatever the reason, the number is ominously high. Many people mistakenly see vaccines as purely individual protection. But the big value is to create a critical mass of vaccinated people to prevent a disease from spreading, protecting those who have weak immune systems or who, for some reason, can't be vaccinated. Depending on how infectious a disease is, this "herd immunity" requires a 90-95 percent vaccination rate.

We're starting to fall below the threshold.

A bogus study, purporting to find a link to autism, has frightened some parents away from the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. Now we're seeing repeated outbreaks of measles. An infected tourist from Switzerland, where vaccination rates have plummeted, sparked a flare-up in Tucson three years ago.

A whooping-cough epidemic in California killed 11 infants last year and is still smoldering.

Closing the vaccine gap requires a variety of strategies. Access and cost should not be barriers. We need more options like county-sponsored back-to-school clinics. This must be a public-health priority: spending a little money to avoid big costs down the line (the Tucson measles outbreak cost $800,000).

Parents need to understand the importance of following the recommended immunization schedule, which includes more shots than it used to. Alternative schedules, which spread out the doses, are rattling around on the Internet. There's no proof that they work better, and there's too much risk of compromising a child's immunity.

At the University of Arizona, epidemiologist Elizabeth Jacobs is studying why a growing number of parents are skipping vaccinations.

Arizona makes it easy to opt out, simply requiring parents to fill out a form. The state should consider following Washington's example, Jacobs said, and require parents to visit a doctor before turning in the form, so they have sound medical information. And the biggest bang for the buck, she suggests, could be educating pregnant women about immunization.

The whole issue needs to be reframed, according to Will Humble, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.

"It's not about your kids," he said, "it's about your social contract, it's about your community."

He's talking about adults, too. Getting your flu shot not only keeps you well but also slows the spread of the virus through the community.

It lacks the drama of a Hollywood ending. But it works.

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