More parents claiming exemption from vaccines
Oregon has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, and Deschutes County is no exception.
State law requires that children be immunized against diseases including polio, measles, mumps, pertussis and rubella.
But a recent report by the Oregon Health Authority suggests that there’s been an increase in parents choosing to claim exemption from vaccinations based on religious or philosophical reasons.
In fact, in 2018, 7.5 percent of Oregon kindergartners claimed non-medical vaccine exemptions.
That’s up from 6.5 percent in 2017 and 6.2 percent in 2016.
In Deschutes County, there’s an exemption rate of 11.6 percent, the fourth-highest in the state.
Heather Kaisner, health information officer with Deschutes County Health Services, said Thursday this trend is concerning.
“What worries me is maybe not the immediate, but if we continue down this trajectory of more and more people choosing not to vaccinate their children, then what’s it going to look like a decade from now?” she said. “I don’t want to see diseases like measles or polio come back to our community.”
A map on the Oregon Health Authority website shows vaccination levels at schools across the state.
On the map, red dots indicate schools that are the most vulnerable, meaning fewer than 80 percent of students are fully vaccinated.
Locally, those include Rimrock Trails Alternative School, Bend International School, Waldorf School of Bend, Amity Creek Magnet School, Westside Village Magnet School and Desert Sky Montessori.
The map can be found here: http://geo.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b494d232659c4a26bab59e3b241373f6.
So why is Oregon seeing an increasing rate of non-medical exemptions?
Nadine Gartner, the founding executive director of Boost Oregon, said there are several reasons at play.
“There’s a real distrust of government in this state,” she said. “And I think also Oregonians can be very community-minded. But I think the way vaccines have been framed, and all the fear-mongering around them, I think people share that information in their social circles. And I think people trust their friends and family more than their medical providers.”
In Oregon, parents who claim non-medical exemption are required to watch a video about vaccinations.
