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Parents weigh decision to vaccinate
In low-rate Boulder, an illness reemerges
By Chryss Cada, Globe Correspondent, 9/9/2002
 OULDER,
Colo. - Claudia McLaren Lainson has never regretted not getting her children
vaccinated for pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough - even when all
three of them got sick with the disease.
''We were expecting it, and when it arrived we met its challenge,'' she
said of the summer when her children - then ages 3, 7, and 8 - became ill
with whooping cough. ''My kids weathered that storm, and now they are
stronger because of it.
''Too many people let fear drive their decisions,'' she said. ''I let
education drive mine.'' After her firstborn had an adverse reaction to his
first DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccination, Lainson began
researching the vaccinations that the medical community recommends for all
children.
''I saw really investigating these vaccinations as a moral deed I needed
to do for my children,'' she said. ''And after what I found out about
possible reactions, I came to the clear and distinct conclusion that this
vaccination wasn't right for my children.''
Lainson is one of a small but growing number of parents nationwide who
have chosen not to follow recommended guidelines for childhood vaccines. In
this picturesque city at the base of the Rockies, a low vaccination rate is
believed to be spurring a resurgence of whooping cough, which can be deadly
for infants.
''Nationwide, parents who choose not to get any vaccinations for their
children has held steady at less than one-half of 1 percent,'' said Barbara
Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center, which
distributes information on possible side effects of vaccines. ''What is
growing is the number of parents who pick and choose which vaccines are
right for their children.''
If there is an epicenter of this trend, it is Boulder's Shining Mountain
Waldorf School. About half of the 335 students enrolled at the school have
received only some, if any, of the vaccinations recommended by the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Association of
Pediatricians.
Boulder, whose residents pride themselves on their reputation for
questioning convention, historically has the lowest vaccination rate in the
state. Residents of what Coloradans call ''the People's Republic of
Boulder'' are also highly educated - in fact, according to the 2000 Census,
Boulder has the most highly educated residents in the nation.
''They ask questions until they have enough facts to make a decision,''
said Shining Mountain Director Robert Schiappacasse of the parents at his
school. ''They aren't going to blindly go along with the status quo.''
But by straying from the herd, Boulder parents may be putting the good of
the larger community at risk. Boulder has one of the highest per-capita
rates of whooping cough in the country. The problem started in 1993 when 52
people in Boulder were diagnosed with the disease. Since then, there have
been about 80 cases a year.
''We now characterize it as endemic to our area,'' said Heath Harmon,
communicable disease coordinator for Boulder County. ''But the past couple
of years, we've had fewer cases than the counties surrounding us.'' People
in those surrounding areas say they know from whom they caught the disease.
''Usually we don't have any cases, and this spring we had six kids so
sick we had to keep them out of school for an extended period of time,''
said Valerie Lambiase, the district nurse for the St. Vrain Valley School
District in nearby Longmont. ''We have a high vaccination rate in our
district, but it [whooping cough] is coming from Boulder, where the
vaccination rate is much lower.''
Even those who have been vaccinated can contract whooping cough, but in
those cases symptoms will be milder. The vaccine is about 85 percent
effective, with immunity waning at about age 10, according to the CDC. There
is no approved vaccine for children older than 7.
Pertussis begins with ''cold-like'' symptoms and a mild cough. The cough
then progresses to fits of coughing, followed by a high-pitched whooping as
the person tries to catch his breath. Many people will gag or vomit
following a fit of coughing. The disease can last one to three months.
The number of cases is growing nationwide. There were 7,867 cases in
2000. At 1,411 cases, Massachusetts had the most cases of any one state in
2000. That year 17 people died from the disease, including two Colorado
babies.
According to information from the vaccine center, possible side effects
of the pertussis vaccine include ''persistent crying for three or more
hours, fever over 103 degrees, excessive sleepiness, and convulsions or
collapse/shock that may lead to either death or permanent brain damage.''
'' It's clear that fear of adverse effects are, for the most part,
unsubstantiated,'' said Dr. Robert Brayden, a Denver pediatrician. ''I have
an open mind, and I believe a parent should get all the information they
can,'' he said. ''But in the end, I think they'll find that vaccination is
the best choice.''
This story ran on page A3 of the Boston Globe on
9/9/2002.
© Copyright
2002 Globe Newspaper Company.
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