11% of Ashland,OR school district sought exemptions

[Guest guest]

Yeah Ashland! Let's get those numbers up where you live!

Remember, they also get money for higher vaccination compliance (from the

govt)

Sheri

****

From Framson...

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 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.

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 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 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, 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 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 ny

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 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

dmann@...

Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow & Co., Inc. |

Privacy | Contact Us

Copyright © 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & UK

530-478-1242 Voicemail

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

" All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men ( &

women) do nothing " ...Edmund Burke

ANY INFO OBTAINED HERE NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE

DECISION TO VACCINATE IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE.

Well Within's Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin

International Tours, Homestudy Courses, ANTHRAX & OTHER Vaccine Dangers

Education, Homeopathic Education

CEU's for nurses, Books & Multi-Pure Water Filters