Colorado Ranks Last In Child Immunization Rate

[Judi Lynn]

Colorado Ranks Last In Child Immunization Rate

Feb 6, 2004 11:38 am US/Mountain
DENVER (AP) Every few months, Erin Dlouhy sees a child under 2 at Samaritan House who has never had shots for polio, measles or whooping cough. Other children at the homeless shelter lack medical records and have to endure the painful shots again.

"I would say at least 50 percent of the time, kids need to be caught up," said Dlouhy, coordinator of children's services at the shelter.

For reasons that include poverty, a lack of government funding and a national shortage of the whooping cough vaccine, Colorado wound up dead last in the government's most recent survey of child vaccination rates.

"We're at the bottom of the barrel," said Dr. Marsha Anderson, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Denver. "Our goal should be to be in the top 10 to be able to provide adequate coverage of our children."

Health advocates say children in a state proud of its well-educated and healthy population are at risk because of funding cuts at the state and local level. They also say some parents simply do not have the money to pay for the shots or lose track of what is required.
(snip/...)

http://news4colorado.com/localnews/local_story_037133955.html

[coloradodem2005]

1. Great.

Makes me proud to be a Coloradoan.

[Adams Wulff]

2. I'm a Coloradan too, but if you have a Republican governor...

I would get used to this type of story talking about your state as well. Everything This President is doing to this country, (bankrupting the treasury, dismantling trusts belonging to the people, etc.) Republican governors are doing to the states as well.
Their take is "Why give it away for free when there's someone out there who can make money at providing such services?" And damn the consequences.

[Robb]

3. Reasons may INCLUDE poverty, but

I gotta tell ya, this is an education issue. A lot of dippy new parents around my little CO burg don't "trust" immunizations, so they won't be bringing their child in for the evil, evil shots they read about in Crazed Parent Magazine.

I kid you not. :(

[shanti]

4. my question is....why?

doesn't colorado force immunizations in order to register for school, like they do here in cali?

[put out]

5. My state (KS) allows un-immunized or under-immunized.

You have to get a medical exemption every year, or your guardians can sign for a religious exemption one time for all time. A few states allow for a philosophical exemption.

What's so funny (not ha ha) is that when I explain what parents need to do, they are pissed off. There is seldom a reason for a medical exemption (really rare cases of proved allergies or prior exposure to the disease and antibodies already providing protection). The parents don't want to have to lie about the religious beliefs in order to skip having their children protected. But they sure do it, anyway.