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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... Our View: We are not ready for The Really Big One ... Serious crime down in Medford ... Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... Our View: We are not ready for The Really Big One ... Serious crime down in Medford ... VACCINATIONS Measles shots fall in Oregon, worrying health official Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Feb. 2, 2015 at 5:38 PM By The Associated Press Posted Feb. 2, 2015 at 5:38 PM » Social News BEND — The vaccination rate for measles in Oregon has fallen low enough to cause a state public health official to worry about the spread of the highly infectious disease. A Lane County man is among more than 100 people nationwide who got measles in an outbreak that apparently began at Disneyland. He visited in early January, and officials like to wait four weeks to say for sure that nobody else has caught it. The vaccination rate among toddlers has been falling in Oregon for 15 years as an increasing percentage of parents claim either religious or philosophical exemptions from state vaccination requirements. In Oregon, 90.9 percent of children between 19 months and 35 months have been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This falls well below the target of 94 percent, the point at which there's a lack of susceptible hosts, so what's known as herd immunity begins to keep the disease from spreading, said Dr. Paul Cieslak, medical director for Oregon's immunization program. Measles cases in Oregon generally are imports, such as from Asia and Europe, where the disease is more prevalent, Cieslak told The Bulletin newspaper of Bend. His view until recently was that the vaccination rate appears to be high enough to stop the spread of the disease. But now, Cieslak said, "We're kind of on the cusp." He cited "chains of transmission" in California. "The problem is not so much that there was an incident in Disneyland, but that the virus seems to be spreading," Cieslak said. In a totally unimmunized population, a single measles case will likely result in an additional 15 infections. Before the introduction of a measles vaccine in 1963, 3 million to 4 million Americans contracted the disease each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 400 to 500 died and 48,000 were hospitalized. Thanks largely to vaccinations, measles were considered eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning there was an absence of continuous transmission for a 12-month period. Oregon figures mirror a national trend of rising numbers of measles cases: 17 from 2000 to 2012, or about 1.3 a year; six in 2013; five in 2014; and the Lane County case so far this year. "We have the potential to eradicate this disease completely. But we're not going to achieve that unless we can convince a higher percentage to get vaccinated," Cieslak said. By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Feb. 2, 2015 at 5:38 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501