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Why do so many kids in Ashland skip shots? Concerned state officials check into city's dearth of immunizations By DAMIAN MANN Worried about a potential disease outbreak, Oregon health officials are heading to Jackson County Monday to find out why a high number of students - particularly in Ashland - are not immunized. About 380 students in the Ashland School District, representing 11 percent of total enrollment, have filed exemptions based on religious or medical reasons, according to county health officials. This is the highest rate of any area in Oregon, according to state officials. The rate of exemptions was 2.7 percent statewide in 2000-2001, 3 percent countywide. If there is an outbreak of polio, chicken pox, measles or mumps, these students would be banned from school. Children are also required to have shots for tetanus, diphtheria and rubella. "All those kids with religious and philosophical exemptions will be out of school for a long time," said county health director Hank Collins. "This will have an impact on those kids' education." At some Ashland day-care centers, as many as 30 percent of their children are exempted from immunizations, he said. At Lincoln and Walker elementary schools, about 20 percent of students have filed exemptions - the highest of any schools in the district. Thirteen percent have filed exemptions at Ashland Middle School, 9 percent at Ashland High School. The Oregon Department of Human Services has indicated it will fund a pilot project to combat the problem in Jackson County, he said. Officials from the Oregon Department of Human Services will appear before the Jackson County Public Health Advisory Committee at 5 p.m. Monday in the Jackson County Courthouse auditorium to start studying this complicated issue. The health advisory committee decided last month to study the immunization problem in Jackson County, said Collins. Eventually, they will talk with parents to find out why they are exempting their children, particularly on medical grounds, from the immunizations. Though many of these diseases have become rarer, Collins said, there have been outbreaks of whooping cough and measles in recent years. Lincoln Elementary Principal Susan Hollandsworth said most of the parents have cited medical reasons why they don't have their children immunized. "Most of them have made a conscious effort to research and investigate before making a decision," she said. Although Hollandsworth sees two sides to this issue, she said, "We may have short-term memories on the benefits of these immunizations." Some parents have expressed concern about the problem. "It is something that some of our parents on our PTO want to discuss with other parents," she said. "A school nurse is also interested in having informal informational meetings." Many of the families opposed to the immunizations follow naturopathic methods that they believe make their children healthier, said Hollandsworth. Shandor Weiss, a naturopath and acupuncturist in Ashland, said he doesn't completely rule out recommending immunizations to his patients, but warns them of the potential health risks. "Any vaccination can have a long-term effect on the immune system," he said. Weiss believes immunization is a personal decision. "For some people, there is more anxiety and concern than actual risk." But some children, particularly those with allergies or immune system problems, could be harmed by the vaccines, he said. "If a parent doesn't get an immunization, that parent has a responsibility to do more for the health of the child," he said. "The best protection against disease or infection is to be healthy," said Weiss. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.