Wash. has highest rate of kids' vaccine exemptions

Washington state is home to the nation's highest rate of parents exempting their children from vaccines, according to a new federal report released Thursday.

The study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a first of its kind, says that 6.2 percent of kindergarteners in the state have parent-signed exemptions for one or more vaccines for diseases such as polio, whooping cough, measles, hepatitis B and chickenpox. The data from the CDC was collected from the 2009-2010 school year.

The study highlights concerns state officials have had for years as rates for exemptions grew.

"Most of today's parents weren't around to see how bad diseases like measles and whooping cough were before vaccines helped bring them under control," said Washington state Secretary of State Mary Selecky in a statement. "We've done a good job fending off those diseases with vaccines, but we can't be complacent; we're seeing them start to make a comeback and too many of our kids are vulnerable."

The parent exemptions overrule school requirements for these vaccines.

But changes are coming to the law; the state is implementing a new rule that mandates a doctor's signature - not just the parent's - before an exemption is given. The doctor's signature would show that parents have been informed by a medical provider about the decision of bypassing vaccines. State officials say the change still gives parents the ultimate choice.

At the county level, exemption rates don't follow geographical patterns.

High exemption rates of above 10 percent of kindergarteners exist in the lowly populated counties in the northeast corner of the state. Most of central Washington has low exemption rates of 3 percent or lower.

But the Puget Sound corridor, with its highly populated counties, has fairly high exemption rates between 5 percent and 9.9 percent.

Michele Roberts, the state's immunization program manager, attributes the high rates of exemptions in those populated counties to educated parents who have decided that vaccines are not good for children and don't fit their lifestyle. She says these families often are healthy eaters and environmentally conscious.

But "not eating sugar, it's not going to make a difference with infectious diseases," Roberts said.

Roberts said last year two babies died from whooping cough in Washington, and a case of the measles was reported in Kitsap County. She adds that there aren't any outbreaks of these diseases, but that not immunizing children puts the rest of a community at risk, especially those too young to be vaccinated.

Parents need to realize "they're making the decision for the community," she said.