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More Ashland kids lack their shots The district appears to have the lowest percentage of immunized students in Oregon By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune ASHLAND - State health officials have discovered that the number of schoolchildren here who have not received immunization shots is higher than previously thought. Worried about the potential for an outbreak of disease, the Oregon Health Division combed through school records last week and found 430 students have not been fully immunized, out of the 3,489 in the Ashland district. This represents 12.3 percent of the school population, higher than an earlier estimate of 11 percent. A preliminary review of these records, which will be kept confidential, also determined that many students may never have been immunized. "For the majority of kids who have religious exemptions, they have no shots listed," said Amanda Timmons, school law coordinator for the Health Division's immunization program. This means either that parents are not reporting the shots, or their children never received them, she said. State law requires children to be immunized against communicable diseases in order to attend school, but parents can claim a religious exemption. As defined by the state, a religious exemption generally means any system of beliefs or values. "The definition is very broad," Timmons said. "You could drive a truck through it." Officials will go through the health records with plans to release a full report on the state of immunization in this community by January. Ashland appears to have the highest rate of students who have not been immunized of any area known in the state, said Timmons. In some schools in the district, such as Lincoln and Walker elementary, about 20 percent of students haven't been vaccinated. At the high school, 9 percent haven't been immunized, and at the middle school, the amount is 13 percent. Ashland also appears to be skewing the immunization rate for the entire county, which is listed as having 4 percent of students not immunized compared to the state average of 1.67 percent. Working with the state, local health officials have begun a campaign to educate parents by offering classroom presentations, immunization clinics and handouts. Belinda Brown, child adolescent nurse for Ashland schools, said, "My goal is to make sure people have accurate information, while recognizing that parents have the right to do whatever they choose." Many parents are concerned about the potential health risks from the vaccines, fearing long-term immune problems for their children, allergies or possible death. Opponents of the shots blame health problems such as autism or blindness on the vaccines. "Some people have really strong opinions on both sides," said Brown. With a greater push for immunization in Ashland schools, Brown said it is too early to tell whether it's having an effect. In the future, state health officials plan to come to Ashland to conduct informational sessions with doctors and provide seminars for parents. In reviewing health records, state officials noticed that some students have received some vaccines but not others. Timmons said tetanus and polio vaccines appear to be the most popular, but some parents seem to shy away from measles, mumps and rubella, usually given together in one shot. In some cases, seventh-graders have received all their shots except for hepatitis B and chicken pox, required starting in the 2000-01 school year. Timmons said parents seem to stay away from the newer shots but are more likely to accept polio vaccine, which has been around for a long time. "One thing they seem hesitant about are live vaccines, which contain a minuscule amount of the disease," she said. "We are injecting a live virus that has been severely weakened, but it has enough in it to cause an immune system to sit up and take notice." In a normal, healthy person, these vaccines are generally not a problem, but they are not recommended for people who are sick, particularly those with immune problems. While children can't be forced to take the shots, they could be banned from schools if there is an outbreak of disease, Timmons said. In a measles outbreak, Timmons said 90 percent of the people who come in contact with the virus get sick, regardless of how healthy they might be. 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.