Drop in childhood immunization results from misinformation

A report that more and more kindergarten students aren't getting the required vaccinations is alarming, but we feel there may be more to the story.

According to an analysis of state health department student vaccination data by The Associated Press, more than one in 20 public school kindergartners do not get all the shots schools require.

Nearly 9 percent of children in Alaska are exempt from vaccinations on medical, religious or philosophical reasons, according to the study, the highest rate in the study. Seven percent of Colorado kindergarteners had not received all their shots, 6.5 percent in Minnesota, and about 6 percent in Vermont, Washington, Oregon, Michigan and Illinois.

But another study showed that 61 percent of pediatricians are willing to deviate from the immunization schedule developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, according to a report by NPR.

Therein lies the rub. The list of recommended vaccinations has grown over the years to include diseases like hepatitis B and chicken pox -- a couple of the shots doctors and parents are willing to delay. Many older parents still see chicken pox as an affliction every child has to endure -- we even heard horror stories of parents exchanging contaminated lollipops to expose their children to the disease.

At the same time, 96 percent of pediatricians surveyed said they would stick to the recommended vaccination schedule with their own children, NPR reported.

Religious or philosophical reasons are one thing, but we hope another objection -- that vaccinations can be linked to autism -- will die a well-deserved death.

That idea stemmed from a study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield at the turn of the century that linked shots like those for measles, mumps and rubella to autism spectrum disorder.

Parents worldwide stopped vaccinating their children, and diseases once thought to be eradicated began to break out again. Childhood measles in England and Wales, for example, climbed 80 percent between 2007 and 2008.

Wakefield's study was retracted last year after an independent review found that he had conducted his research "dishonestly and irresponsibly."

A CDC study which tracked 1,000 children, born between 1994 and 1999, including 256 diagnosed with autism, concluded that there was absolutely no connection between vaccinations and the development of autism. In fact, the study actually found a small link between exposure to thimerosal -- the mercury-based preservative suspected to be the culprit -- and a decreased risk of autism.

The point is moot, however, as the preservative has been removed from most vaccines.

Some won't be convinced, however, and advocates like the National Autism Association say the CDC can't be trusted, since it is responsible for purchasing vaccines for resale as well as promoting an increased immunization rate.

The recent push for vaccines against human papillomavirus -- for both boys and girls -- and the pharmaceutical industry's relationship with politicians like Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a presidential candidate, are also subject to close scrutiny.

Nevertheless, we side with the vast majority of pediatricians, who follow the CDC's guidelines for childhood vaccination. Contact your health care provider and follow his or her recommendations.

More information is available here.