Measles outbreak fails to sway immunisation opponents

[Guest guest]

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/measles-outbreak-fails-to-sway-i\

mmunisation-opponents/2009/03/16/1237054681156.html

Measles outbreak fails to sway immunisation opponents

Kate | March 16, 2009

A MEASLES outbreak on the Sunshine Coast has failed to sway some parents who

object to vaccinating their children.

Beerwah High School this month had 18 cases of measles, a highly contagious

disease that can have serious complications including pneumonia, and brain and

lung damage. In extreme cases, patients can die.

Selvey, of Queensland Health's Communicable Disease Unit, said four

Queenslanders died from measles between 1993 and 1997.

Despite Queensland Health warnings, Sunshine Coast vaccination rates were below

the state average, due partly to conscientious objectors.

Coolum health store worker Donna Potts said she and her friends believed most

inoculations were unnecessary. Her two children, aged eight and 10, had not been

vaccinated.

" Our doctor didn't lean one way or the other about whether or not to vaccinate, "

she said. " He just gave us both sides of the story and after we did some more

research we decided against it. We thought it was better for kids to develop

their own healthy immune systems. "

Mrs Potts said she knew of at least eight other like-minded families that lived

in the area and had not changed their minds since the Beerwah outbreak. If her

children's primary schools were to report cases of measles, chickenpox or mumps,

she would probably leave them in the school - if they were in good health - so

they could contract the disease and build immunity.

However, she would take them out of school if whooping cough were reported.

Dr Selvey said four siblings of the Beerwah measles patients attended other

schools but had also contracted measles this year. A Brisbane school student was

another confirmed case, but these students had not attended school while

infectious with the virus.

A suspected Caloundra High School case was not measles. Of the high school's

1071 students, 964 had been cleared to return by last week but 107 could not

return until tomorrow. Of that number, 80 had not been vaccinated and 21 had

received one vaccination since the outbreak but still required a booster shot,

Dr Selvey said.

Queensland Health and Education Queensland did not know if the remaining six

students had been vaccinated.

Dr Langley, of the Sunshine Coast Population Health Unit, said measles

was not a " benign disease " and should be taken seriously.

He said one in 15 children with measles could develop pneumonia and one in 1000

could develop encephalitis.

University of Queensland's Professor Young said vaccination rates had

dipped during the 1990s after a study linked the measles, mumps and rubella

vaccine to autism. The finding had been disproved but many children had been

left unvaccinated.

Vaccinations can be given by family doctors or through programs run by local

councils or schools.

Schools are not required either to check if children have been vaccinated before

they start or to keep records of booster shots. Principals are sometimes allowed

to ask parents or Queensland Health if a child has been vaccinated.

A Queensland Health spokesman said the vaccine information and administration

system allowed the department to alert a child's doctor if a vaccination was

overdue.

Queensland Parents and Citizens Association president Margaret Black said one

central register would make it easier for parents to check. " As a parent it's

often difficult to keep track of what's due when, especially if you have more

than one child, " she said.