<p>Vineyard elementary schools have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, according to a list of vaccination rates released by the state Department of Public Health. The West Tisbury and Tisbury schools are among the lowest.</p>
Vineyard elementary schools have some of the lowest vaccination rates in the state, according to school nurses and a list of vaccination rates released this year by the state Department of Public Health.
In response to the measles outbreak that began in California in December and has spread to several other states, the DPH released a list of last year’s vaccination exemption rates for most schools in the state, with the West Tisbury School and Tisbury School near the top of the list. The goal was at least partly to encourage more parents to vaccinate their kids.
Schools report their exemption numbers from incoming kindergarten classes to state public health officials at the outset of the school year.
The West Tisbury School had an exemption rate of 26.4 per cent, about 75 under vaccinated and non-vaccinated students, surpassed only by the Waldorf School in Lexington at 31.4 per cent. The Tisbury School had a rate of 13.9 per cent, or about 44 students. Edgartown had the lowest exemption rate on the Island, at 2.6 per cent. The state average was 1.5 per cent.
The Chilmark School and the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School, which have fewer students, were not included in the list, but their exemption rates are also high. Janice Brown, the nurse for both schools, reported rates of around 35 per cent for the Chilmark School, which has 56 students; and 20 per cent for the charter school, which has 180 students.
“I think it’s a cause for concern,” said Vineyard schools superintendent Dr. James H. Weiss. “You would like to see 90 or 100 per cent of our students be inoculated and clearly that is not the case. We have a lot of exemptions.” Of the approximately 1,300 students in Island elementary schools, 168 were under vaccinated, although some may have been lacking only one or two shots.
To comply with state law, parents who do not want to immunize their children must submit a medical or religious exemption prior to the start of the school year. Students who are under immunized may be kept out of school in the case of an outbreak, as some were when a West Tisbury student had chicken pox three years ago.
Medical exemptions require the approval of a doctor and must be renewed every year, but religious exemptions require only a one-time written statement by a parent or guardian.
The vast majority of exemptions nationwide and on the Island are religious. Only a handful of students at each Island school last year had medical exemptions.
“Religious exemptions become kind of the catch all,” said West Tisbury school nurse Kristine Cammorata. “If there is not a medical reason for children to receive vaccinations, that’s what parents opt for and we don’t ask a lot of questions.”
School nurses have drafted a letter to parents reminding them to vaccinate their kids if they have not done so, and they plan to finalize the letter next week. The nurses also provide materials from the DPH and the federal Center for Disease Control to parents looking for more information, and encourage them to visit their physicians. They said those materials are the same at each school.
“The nurses do a lot of education around this,” Mr. Weiss said.
Island boards of health also provide information about vaccinations, but their response to the outbreak has been minimal. Board of health members in West Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, Edgartown and Aquinnah, reached this week, said they are not taking any extra precautions in light of the measles outbreak.
Statewide, Franklin County had the most exemptions, at 5.5 per cent, followed by Cape Cod counties at 4.9 per cent. But the state overall vaccination rate is above 90 per cent, among the highest in the country.
Tejman Talebian, director of the immunization program at DPH, said there have not been any significant outbreaks of disease related to areas of high exemption in the state, but noted that if there were an outbreak, the Vineyard would be at risk. “I definitely would be concerned in those communities,” he said. He hoped the list of exemption rates would encourage parents to more fully immunize their kids.
Mr. Talebian noted a national correlation between the high rates and wealthier communities, although the DPH has not studied that connection in the state. People who object to vaccinating their kids tend to favor natural, organic foods and alternative medicines, he said. “So that might be the reason why there is a correlation between socioeconomic status and higher rates of exemption.
“We are not seeing a lot of disease out there right now but certainly those communities with high rates of exemption and low immunization coverage rates would be more prone or more likely to see the beginnings of an outbreak than other areas of the state, that’s for sure,” he said.
Longtime Island pediatrician Michael Goldfein said the last time he encountered measles was in the 1970s, before he came to the Island. He has never encountered a case here, but he believed the high exemption rates could compromise the Island’s ability to fend off an outbreak through widespread vaccinations — a phenomenon known as herd immunity. Dr. Goldfein said it was “socially irresponsible” for parents not to vaccinate their children. “They are taking advantage of the fact that the rest of the population is choosing to immunize their children,” he said, adding that the unvaccinated children “would be at great risk” in the case of an outbreak. As a result of the MMR vaccine (for measles, mumps and rubella) the federal government in 2000 declared that measles had been eliminated in the U.S. But cases have increased since then, peaking last year at 644 cases in 27 states. Some blame an anti-immunization movement that they say is fueled by the internet and a discredited study linking the MMR vaccine to autism. “I don’t think it’s a matter of education,” said Dr. Goldfein, who also noted the study, which was published in 1998 but later retracted. “These people refuse to be confused by the facts, so to speak. They have their very strong opinions and they are not swayed by anything you say.”
Nevertheless, he said about a half dozen parents have changed their minds in response to the measles outbreak and have brought their children in to get the MMR vaccine. “These are people that would never have previously vaccinated their children,” Dr. Goldfein said. But he didn’t know if that would lead to a wider shift in public opinion, or to an openness to other vaccines.
Concerns surrounding vaccines also include potential side effects like skin reactions and fever, Ms. Cammorata said. “For a parent, that’s scary, so for many it puts them off,” she said. Island school nurses routinely meet with the parents of incoming kindergarteners. Some parents already oppose vaccinating their kids, but some are unsure, or may want to stagger the doses.
“There are a lot of people who have their mind made up and I don’t think they are going to be swayed, no matter what information they are given,” Ms. Cammorata said. “Those open to discussion are usually more willing to have their kids immunized according to state guidelines.”
She agreed that the low vaccination rates were cause for concern. “I think about the kids who for medical reasons can’t be immunized,” she said. “Or you have siblings — a kid who is immunized but a sibling too young to receive the vaccine. You worry about those. It is scary.”
Comments
We are a generation or 2
Carla Cooper EdgartownWe are a generation or 2 removed from the suffering and death toll diseases like measles, TB, polio and diptheria caused. People just dont remember how bad it was. Its tragic that its going to take an outbreak of a totally preventable disease to prove that vacines are far safer than contracting the disease itself. Its completely naive and just plain ignorant to think that clean living, good hygiene and a balanced diet are enough to prevent these illnesses. In fact, it was the wealthiest, cleanest, well-fed segment of the population who were the most susceptible to the polio virus. Its time fo eliminate the exemptions.
I am horrified by this. My
Brent Taylor West TisburyI am horrified by this. My uncle got polio before the polio vaccine was invented and suffered his whole life. I got the polio vaccine in 1953 and am so glad I did. (Thank you Drs. Sabin and Salk) This anti-vax thing is an uninformed and naive idea that causes suffering not only for the children of these self-involved parents but other children. So amazingly selfish.
Staggering, the ignorance and
Carol formerly ChilmarkStaggering, the ignorance and poor judgment of these parents. Worried about a skin rash? Have those people ever seen measles scars? Or considered that many children who contract that very contagious, airborne disease will go deaf in one ear? Or die from it? Don't they know that "autism connection" study has been roundly and thoroughly debunked - several times - and one of the authors lost his medical license over it? Good God.
Ever since 4th grade I've
Rob Burnside Kingston, PAEver since 4th grade I've wondered how, when most people thought the world was flat, Columbus
managed to crew his ships.
At days end (or the end of
Skip OBAt days end (or the end of days!) will the vacuous prove Darwin wrong after all? Goodness.
The decision not to vaccinate
Joanna Cole ChilmarkThe decision not to vaccinate one's children is especially shocking in a place like MV that prides itself on a sense of community and the common good. We vaccinate our children not only for themselves but for those around them.
well said!
Jeanne Barron West Tisburywell said!
And, look where the highest
BFAnd, look where the highest rates are on Island. Your kids are more likely to suffer autism from the pot you've been smoking and the crunchy granola you ingest than they will from a vaccine!
I support the concept of free
Bill McGrath Oak BluffsI support the concept of free choice (exemptions) but suggest we add a cost for choices that are not in the public interest. It need not be onerous. The school system could publish a list of under-vaccinated children, just as it does now for honor roll. Parents of under-vaccinated children could be educated through a series of mandatory lectures the week before school starts, annually if necessary. Extra-curricula activities could be denied to under-vaccinated children; no trips, no after school activities, no sports, no graduation ceremony. Seems like there may be many other "costs" applied incrementally if necessary to further the public interest.
Bill - that doesn't sound
Ewell Hopkins Proud to be from OBBill - that doesn't sound like being in support of free choice. Indeed, we are all in this to together.
Better yet keep your un
Dee Ouchman Isles of LangerhansBetter yet keep your un-vaccinated kids at home and out of
school.
I support choice for parents
Ben MVI support choice for parents as long as they are willing to keep their under-vaccinated children at home and outside of schools, ferries, libraries and other public places.
Once the kids are out in public, it is their duty to have them vaccinated.
Would you ask your child to use a bathroom, as they should in a civilized society, or just let them do their business on the side of a school building or on the deck of a ferry, cause why not? After all, I heard a playboy playmate say that some British doctor said that some health food guy said that you could get shingles from a public bathroom.
Very frightening to discover
Abby Lakis Vineyard HavenVery frightening to discover this. I must have been wishfully thinking to assume that common sense would prevail here and that we all would do the right thing for all of our children. Where I grew up in Scotland our neighbor had suffered from polio. She was probably in her thirties when I knew her and she was completely bent over and always needed a stick to walk. So stupid not to prevent diseases that have been completely eradicated. I can't understand why a parent wouldn't get their children vaccinated. There's heaps of science, statistics and proof that they work. What happens when they travel outside of the country...leave the herd protection?? My 10 year old nephew has a compromised immune system as he needed to have a liver transplant at 7 months old. He would get very ill just by catching chicken pox...never mind measles. Why on earth would anyone choose not to protect everyone???? It's callous and incredibly selfish not to mention downright ignorant and dangerous.
Those parents who choose to
Brenda OBThose parents who choose to not vaccinate their children put those with compromised immune systems at risk.
When my children were
Jan Miller West TisburyWhen my children were vaccinated in the 1980s and early 1990s they received 8 doses of 3 vaccines - DTP, Polio and MMR. Today's CDC list of vaccinations has grown to 49 doses of 14 vaccines. To say we have gone way overboard on these vaccines AND the fact that Merck is facing several government and class action law suits for falsifying data on the MMR vaccine ---it is no wonder that parents are skeptical and cautious! Thank goodness they are.
You are misinformed, it isn't
Betsy EdgartownYou are misinformed, it isn't 49 doses, not even close. I sat reading theses comments with a pediatrician, the very most, if you included a Tetanus shot, and traveling abroad, the extreme amount was 23.
Yes, Betsy, but people come
Ben MVYes, Betsy, but people come up with any excuse to justify their preconceived notions, even if it is based on nonsense. Nothing new there.
So many of the people not
Truthteller CASo many of the people not vaccinating their children now are young and have not seen the devastating effects of not vaccinating and/or inoculating their children. Not sitting by the bed of someone whose heart valves were compromised by rheumatic fever, nor the women who were pregnant and exposed to measles and add affected children, nor the panic of polio and wondering if one's child would be paralyzed for life....the diseases and their affects were devastating and those of us who know that and have family members affected do not understand the utter selfishness of those who do not vaccinate/inoculate their children.
Cool idea: put children with
Claire V.Cool idea: put children with compromised immune systems who are unable to be vaccinated, as well as your own children, at risk of dying because you think we are fighting TOO MANY diseases and feel that your kid can "tough out" the polio.
It's extremely arrogant to do what "feels right" based on how things sound on blogs when dealing with the safety of children.You MIGHT know what is best for your child in general, but you don't know better than what has statistically been proven to be accurate. Stop playing doctor, stop putting people in danger over things you either cannot or have not had the education to understand.
In general, I try to be empathetic and get where people are coming from, but anti-vaccination is too much because in my experience people are too entrenched in the lies they believe to see around corners. And this stuff can literally kill people with medical problems, who have already suffered so much.
As somebody with (non-immune related) medical problems I can understand the frustration and distrust with modern medicine, but I can't understand how people can be so willing to risk lives for something they don't have a great understanding of. Sometimes I don't trust my doctors or "the system", but I trust the people with degrees far more than the people with a Wordpress blog. And in my experience, that has paid off.
I don't know, it's just like... how would you feel if your child got sick? How would you feel sitting in the ER, knowing that your child is suffering through something completely preventable? How would you feel if it dawned on you, at some point after all that suffering, that being unvaccinated gave your child zero advantages in life, and they suffered for nothing?
Sanitation is the reason why we don't have measles everywhere? Cool, tell the kids from the last US outbreak that they were just unclean or weak. Vaccinations cause autism? They don't, but even if they did, so what? I do not understand this "better off dead/physically damaged forever than autistic" attitude.
Basically, I'm unsurprised, but extremely disappointed in my hometown.
I can tell people West Tisbury is about weed, chia seeds, and drum circles and laugh about it, but this is just really sad.
Shots should be mandatory
Ken EdgartownShots should be mandatory except for the hpv and maybe the tetanus shot, I dont remember ever getting those as a kid.
I'm surprised that religious
Chilmark Summer PersonI'm surprised that religious exemptions don't need to be renewed annually just as medical ones do. I wonder how many of those "religious" exemptions are actually medical ones, but the parents got tired of dealing with the paperwork?
But it's clear that the religious exemption rate is far too high for comfort. I wonder how it would go if each school put a chart by the front door showing its exemption rate, and also let any child with a medical exemption be placed in an entirely-immunized classroom? The schools could also have assemblies with lots of boosterism and education about vaccination, so that kids would start putting pressure on their parents to get themselves immunized, just as they put pressure on their parents to wear pajamas on PJ day, or to participate in school fundraisers.
For the sake of everyone I
Matt O.B. and Ridgefield, CTFor the sake of everyone I will hold my tongue and go into how stupid I believe the non-vaccinators are.
Let’s think of this from an economic standpoint. How many families in the future will choose not to vacation on The Vineyard because of the low immunization rates of the native population? Why risk their children who aren’t fully vaccinated yet, or who have compromised immune systems. What will you do when you lose your income because the tourism dollars are no longer there? And then when you don't have health insurance due to the loss of your job, or those of us that are informed and employed will have to pay to subsidize your Govt. health insurance, and your child actually contracts one of these easily preventable diseases?
Just as the “herd concept” works for preventing diseases it also works when people in your community do stupid, uninformed things. The group must act and rectify the situation that is in the herd’s best interest.
Don't forget that 73.6% of
Chris West TisburyDon't forget that 73.6% of West Tisbury did vaccinate their kids and that the Chilmark School kids end up in West Tisbury . Don't like hearing the awkward comments about this Greatest of Towns or any other towns. Stay focused on the individual kids that need to be vaccinated. I agree they do!
73.6% is a terrible number
Ben MV73.6% is a terrible number when it comes to herd immunity, nothing to be proud of.
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