Eagle file art Health officials say there may be temporary discomfort, but childhood vaccinations offer protection from diseases with serious and even fatal consequences.

CANYON CITY – The Grant County Health Department is urging childhood immunizations after finding the local populace leads the state in shirking the protective shots.

Lindsay Madden, registered nurse and manager of the health department, said the county has the highest rate of non-medical exemptions for kindergarteners in the state this year, at 16 percent.

“It’s not acceptable to be that under-immunized,” she said. “It creates a potentially unsafe situation.”

Madden reported on the situation at a recent meeting of the Grant County Court.

She said she will be working with state and other county health officials to see how other areas have improved their rates.

Harney County, for example, comes in at just under 3 percent exempted, and Baker County is at 8 percent. Wheeler County listed no exemptions.

In a recent discussion with the Grant County Court, she said the health department hopes to improve the immunization rate by taking these steps:

• Making a presentation at the Health Fair in June to raise awareness of the importance of immunizations.

• Reaching out to parents with information in the July Parent Page published in the Blue Mountain Eagle.

• Ramping up public education efforts in August, which is National Immunization Awareness Month, in preparation for a “vaccine clinic week.”

Health officials say some people shirk vaccinations for their children because they don’t see the need – a complacency that could be blamed on the success of the vaccines themselves.

In the past, diseases like polio, measles, diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis) would kill thousands of children and cause other lingering impairments for many more each year across the nation. With widespread vaccination, people are no longer as aware of the risks of such illnesses.

“We don’t realize how serious this is. Most people haven’t seen what measles will do,” Madden said. “They haven’t seen a child come down with pertussis and die.”

She said some other parents worry about side effects or buy into misconceptions about vaccines, some perpetuated by celebrities. One theory that certain vaccines cause autism has been debunked by scientists and medical experts, but continues to crop up in the popular media.

Under-immunization poses risks to the community at large, she said, noting there have been cases of measles and pertussis in counties near Grant.

State health officials last week warned all professionals to be cognizant of measles as a possibility when a young patient has a rash. The advisory notes that 187 cases of measles have been reported across 17 states, including five cases in Oregon, since May 9. All of the patients were unvaccinated and they ranged in age from 8 months to 7 years old.

With a mobile population, measles and other diseases can be transmitted easily to local children who are not protected.

Madden noted the risk from skipping vaccinations is not just for the families who refuse immunization for their children, but for other people’s children who are simply too young to be immunized but become exposed to someone with a disease, officials note.

Madden said she recognizes that vaccinating is ultimately the parent’s decision, and she doesn’t mean to discredit their feelings.

“I understand some parents have strong beliefs and opinions, and it can be a sensitive topic, but my job is to educate and promote the public’s health,” she said.