Nevada County school kids rank last in the state for up-to-date immunizations, and the rate of fully immunized children entering kindergarten last fall dropped 5 percent from the previous year, the county Public Health Officer said this week.

These figures have alarmed local public health officials, who said this week that the low immunization levels affect what they call "community immunity" - the health of infants and seniors who are too young to be vaccinated and others whose vaccinations no longer are fully effective.

"I'm not just concerned for kids, but for everyone they come in contact with," said county Public Health Officer Joseph P. Iser, M.D.

To raise awareness of the issue and boost immunization levels, the Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to take part in National Infant Immunization Week, April 21 through 28.

The campaign will include a mobile van that will make appearances throughout the county and offer vaccinations to children of all income levels who need to be brought up to date for a cost of $10 per child. For the van schedule, call 265-1450.



Fear, busy parents

State data shows 73 percent of Nevada County children entering kindergarten last fall were fully immunized, compared to the state's average of 93 percent, Iser said.

Children living on the San Juan Ridge and those attending charter schools are less likely to receive immunizations than children in other areas of the county, Executive Director of the First 5 Commission, Jean Soliz-Conklin, said at Tuesday's supervisors' meeting.

The Grass Valley School District also is seeing a rise in unvaccinated children.

State law requires children entering kindergarten to be vaccinated. But parents can choose a personal-belief exemption that allows the school to admit an unvaccinated child.

A report released by First 5 Nevada County last year found that 14 percent of county parents chose personal-belief exemptions, compared to 1.3 percent statewide. That figure is up from 11 percent in 2005 and 9.5 percent in 2004.

The reasons for the rise in exemptions is unclear, Soliz-Conklin said. But she attributed the low vaccination numbers overall to limited access, busy lives, complicated immunization schedules and lack of reminder systems from providers.

Both Iser and Soliz-Conklin also attributed the exemption figures to misinformation and parental distrust of pharmaceutical companies and Western medicine.

"Very caring parents are choosing to exempt their children," Soliz-Conklin. "We think they're reading science that is dubious," Soliz-Conklin said.

The use of mercury-based thimerosal used as a preservative in immunizations was blamed by some parents for higher rates of autism detected in the late 1990s - even though the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined there is no link, Iser said.

This year, center researchers found that about one child in 150 develops autism or related disorders such as Asperger's syndrome by the age of 8. Doctors believe the disorder is caused by a combination of genetic variations and developmental factors.



Forgotten diseases, respectful dialogue

The spread of disease is effectively stopped if 90 percent of the population is vaccinated, according to the Nevada County Immunization Workgroup.

But with the county's high rate of exempted children, outbreaks have occurred.

In December and January, 11 students from Yuba River Charter School were diagnosed with whooping cough, also known as pertussis, because parents had not completed the immunization series for their children.

Iser, who has worked with families in other countries, said Americans don't make immunizations a top priority in their lives.

"Americans just don't see it as an important thing to have or maintain. This pertussis outbreak did put it on parents' radar," Iser said.

People have forgotten how devastating diseases such as rubella can be, said Soliz-Conklin.

Part of the First 5 campaign, "Protecting our Children, Protecting our Community," is to educate and start a respectful dialogue with parents who may be choosing homeopathic and natural immunity alternatives.

"We've got some work to do. There have been some distortions. We've got to overcome those distortions," Soliz-Conklin said.



Online records

A new online database for doctors will also help keep families current on immunization schedules even if they lose their children's immunization records.

Later in the week, a list of clinics and other activities planned for National Infant Immunization Week will be released on the county's public health department Web site at www.mynevadacounty.com; click on the Public Health Department link.

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To contact Staff Writer Laura Brown, e-mail laurab@theunion.com or call 477-4231.



Immunization information



• To research immunization safety, see the Centers for Disease Control Web site at www.cdc.gov.

• Visit the First 5 Nevada County site at www.first5nevco.org.