Parents in California are NOT vaccinating their children at twice the rate they did seven years ago. The rate of unvaccinated children in California is up 8%. In fact, the number of vaccination exemptions has increased throughout the nation. Parents can get an exemption from required immunizations if the shots are against their personal beliefs – there are also medical exemptions.
Vaccinations are now available for chicken pox, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A and B, tetanus and more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these vaccines have helped millions of children avoid serious diseases and saved the lives of thousands of children in the United States over the years.
When children become exposed to disease, an epidemic may ensue. California has recently experienced a cluster of measles outbreaks and a pertussis outbreak as well. Some of the wealthier districts have over 14% opt out rate.
Parents opt out of shots for different reasons so tell us, why do you or don’t you vaccinate your kids?