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380 Ashland kids skip shots High figure could lead to outbreak, state health official warns By DAMIAN MANN Citing religious and medical reasons, 380 Ashland students filed exemptions to mandated immunizations. That�s 11 percent of school district enrollment, a rate beyond that of any other area in Oregon, said health officials. At the same time, another 287 Jackson County children were banned from schools and other institutions Wednesday after they missed a state deadline to receive shots or seek an exemption. If banned children either receive their shots or an exemption, they can return to school. Immunization exemptions Religious and medical exemptions to immunizations in Ashland schools (total number of students in parentheses): Ashland High School: 106 (1,240) 9% Ashland Middle School: 103 (800) 13% Elementary schools: Briscoe: 28 (240) 12% Bellevue: 10 (240) 4% Hellman: 12 (230) 5% Lincoln 63 (300) 21% Walker: 52 (270) 19% Pinehurst School District claimed six exemptions out of a total of 25 students. 24% Total students: 3345 Total with exemptions: 380 (11%) Source: Jackson County Health and Human Services Department Lorraine Duncan, immunization manager of the Oregon Department of Human Services, said Ashland�s exemption numbers � 380 of 3,345 students, or about 11 percent of the entire district � are "way beyond the state average. You just don�t see those kind of rates." She also believes this is a recipe for disaster: "When you have a large school population that is not vaccinated, the chances of them coming down with something are very good." Many other schools throughout the county reported much lower exemption rates. Duncan said she would contact the Jackson County Health and Human Services Department to push for more health education at Ashland schools to increase the number of students who receive immunizations. Children are required to have shots for tetanus and diphtheria, hepatitis B, polio, chicken pox, measles, mumps and rubella. Southern Oregon typically has the highest rates of exemptions in the state for both religious and medical reasons, Duncan said. For kindergarten and first grade, the statewide average in 1999-2000 was 1.46 percent of students, compared to Jackson County�s 2.27 percent. Although she is concerned that Ashland parents are using the religious exemption as an excuse to avoid shots, she said there is little the state can do. "We have to accept the religious exemptions," Duncan said. If an outbreak of one of the diseases occurs at a school, students exempted from immunizations will not be allowed to attend until the outbreak is over, which could take several weeks, Duncan said. Ashland Middle School Principal Dale Rooklyn said many parents are worried about the side effects of the immunizations. At his school, 105 of 800 students have filed exemptions. "I think what I hear from parents is that they are concerned about the safety of vaccines," said Rooklyn. Many parents remember bad effects from other immunizations, while others are reluctant, but eventually agree, to get their children vaccinated, he said. "It�s a situation where someone considers the good as a whole, versus the individual risk," Rooklyn said. Even the tiny Pinehurst School District in the mountains east of Ashland filed six exemptions out of about 25 students. Teacher Marie Mannatt said, "We had lots of religious waivers." She said parents are also concerned about the safety of the vaccines. Despite Ashland�s high exemption rate, Jackson County health official Vicki Barbour said her office has remained busy this week, giving 135 doses of vaccine on Tuesday and 152 doses Wednesday. "People came in here yesterday saying, �I can�t go back to school,� " she said. The health department calculated 287 children would be excluded from schools, day care centers and other institutions, though not all organizations had reported in. From the 55 public schools in the county, 174 students were excluded, the health department reported. Middle schools had 66 exclusions, because this is the first year that seventh-graders were required to have a second measles vaccine, must be current on the hepatitis B series and should be immunized against or provide a history of having had chicken pox. The Jackson County Department of Health Services, as well as officials at the 10 county middle schools, made an all-out effort to make sure children received vaccinations. Most middle schools reported low numbers of students requesting exemptions. "We spent hundreds of man hours calling parents whose children needed the shots," said Hedrick Middle School Principal Marjorie Lininger. Her school didn�t exclude any children, but had 16 exemptions. McLoughlin Middle School Principal Doug McKenzie said, "We initially called hundreds of parents." His school even conducted an on site clinic, but finally had to exclude 20 out of a total 495 seventh graders. He said the school only had a handful of exemptions. The number of students who needed immunizations this year hit a record 1,357 children in early February. Getting all the kids their shots has been a lot of work for most schools. Rogue River Middle School excluded four students. Secretary Johnny Smythe said, "It was like pulling teeth to get the parents to get the shots. I�ve spent considerable hours on this." Hanby Middle School in Gold Hill had to send only two children home. Principal Mary Barker said a county health nurse came out Wednesday to give about 25 shots. "It was big help," Barker said. "When you�re out in a rural area like this its hard for the parents to take their kids in for the shots." 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.