At Some SCV Schools, Parents Still Refusing to Vaccinate at Dangerously High Levels

Last year, we shared an LA Times report that five elementary schools in the SCV reported what experts consider dangerously high rates of parents opting out of vaccines. While the numbers are looking better, several SCV schools are still reporting Kindergarten and 7th grade exemptions in that danger zone where herd immunity is compromised. Herd immunity for measles and whooping cough is threatened when over 8% of parents refuse to vaccinate their kids, more on that later.

Schools require students to get certain vaccinations, but parents can claim exemptions based on personal beliefs. Since last year, parents claiming an exemption are required to receive vaccine counseling from a health care practitioner, unless they claim a religious objection to the counseling itself. 

After doubling in recent years, Kindergarten exemptions are actually down 19% from last school year, and the number of SCV schools with dangerously high exemptions is down to three from five. The LA Times feature didn't cover 7th grade exemptions, but it turns out we had five schools above that threshold last year, too. That number is down to two for this school year. 

Here's the list of schools reporting personal Kindergarten and/or 7th grade belief exemption rates of over 8%: 

The figures for these schools are pretty alarming, and they don't even take into account the percentage of kindergartners who aren't up-to-date on their vaccines (full data here).

Apart from the obvious risk to their own children, the decline in vaccinations it threatens the "herd immunity." The herd immunity is when nearly everyone in a group is vaccinated, and it prevents outbreaks from occuring. Without it, there is a much higher risk of infection for unvaccinated schoolchildren, younger children, the elderly and anyone with compromised immune systems. This video explains it really well.