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December 04, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"When Parents Say No to Child Vaccinations"

New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (11/30/02) P. A1; McNeil, Donald G. Jr.

Dr. Walter A. Orenstein, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Program, says that roughly 1 percent of U.S. children are exempt from vaccination--which can be dangerous not only to them, but to the "herd immunity" that protects against epidemics.  There are clusters of such children in various areas, which worries health officials because they put infants, the unborn, the elderly, and even vaccinated peers at risk.  Reasons for foregoing vaccination range from the trouble of doing so to religious objections to fears of rumored or real side effects.  Public health specialists think that part of the problem is that people do not fear diseases that they have never seen.  All 50 states allow exemptions for children with allergies to vaccines or who have compromised immune systems, but the methods and other exemptions vary from state to state.

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ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.