Oregon sees sharp increase in nonmedical exemptions for school vaccines

Natalie Pate | Statesman Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Tips for choosing daycare There are several important factors a parent should consider when choosing a child care provider. The Oregon Department of Education’s Early Learning Division provides help to parents through a database of licensed programs where they can check for violations and inspection reports.

Oregon has seen a sharp increase in the rate of parents choosing nonmedical exemptions to vaccines for their kindergarten-age children.

The increase was seen in a recent state analysis by the Oregon Health Authority.

State law requires children are immunized against diseases including diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, chickenpox, measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis.

The number of required vaccinations can vary depending on the child’s age or grade level and type of facility, and exemptions are also available.

MORE: A doctor’s advice on vaccinations and preventing disease

But in 2015, a new law went into effect requiring parents and guardians to take certain steps to claim a nonmedical exemption.

Families wishing not to vaccinate their child for nonmedical reasons have to either watch an online education module and submit a certificate of completion, or talk to a health care provider and have the practitioner sign a vaccine education certificate.

Once the law was implemented, Oregon’s kindergarten nonmedical exemption rate fell from 7 percent to 5.8 percent, according to the agency's data.

However, since that initial decrease, the rates have increased every year — totaling 6.2 percent in 2016, 6.5 percent in 2017 and 7.5 percent in 2018.

By contrast, Marion County's nonmedical exemption rate for kindergarteners increased from 4.4 percent in 2017 to 5.2 percent in 2018.

Polk County's rate increased from 4.6 percent in 2017 to 6.7 percent in 2018.

“While more nonmedical exemptions mean fewer children are being immunized, the vast majority of Oregon parents and guardians still choose to fully immunize their children,” said Stacy de Assis Matthews with the Oregon Immunization Program in a statement.

“Most parents and guardians know that immunization is still the best way to protect children against vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough and measles,” she said.

Oregon’s immunization laws are meant to ensure children go to school in a safe and healthy environment free of vaccine-preventable diseases, authority officials said. The law affects nearly 700,000 students in 3,500 public and private schools, preschools, Head Starts and certified child care programs.

“If you have questions about vaccines from something you saw on the internet, talk to your child’s health care provider,” Matthews said. Providers also need to be reassured it’s OK to talk to parents about vaccines and encourage their use.

“We all want healthy children and healthy communities," she said, "and one important way we get there is with immunizations."

The full schedule and individual school and child care rates for sites with 10 or more students are available on the authority's required immunizations webpage.

Contact Natalie Pate at npate@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6745 or follow her on Twitter @Nataliempate or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/nataliepatejournalist.

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