I-Team: Vaccine Rates Plummeting In Parts Of Mass.

BOSTON (CBS) – Childhood vaccines are credited with virtually wiping out a host of awful diseases, yet many parents are still concerned about the shots. Two and a half year old Collin let out a scream as he got his latest vaccine in the office of his Cape Cod pediatrician, but Dr. Sharon Daley believes that discomfort is a small price to pay for the protection the shot offers. Dr. Daley, who is also the chief of pediatrics at Cape Cod Hospital, explained, “Whooping cough, and diphtheria, measles, bacterial meningitis, even influenza; these diseases used to cause thousands of deaths each year.” Dr. Daley is concerned with the number of children on the Cape who are not getting vaccinated. “Once vaccination rates go down, the likelihood of an outbreak increases.” The I-Team obtained the latest data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and found almost 5% of Cape Cod kindergarten students were exempted from immunizations. That is an increase from last year. There are other pockets of the state with higher exemption rates. In Franklin County the rate is about 5.5%. Just under 4% of Hampshire County kindergarteners were exempted. Experts think many of these people could be drawn to a more rural lifestyle, one that emphasizes organic live and homeopathic cures. The rates in counties in and around Boston are much lower. Boston University professor of public health Kim Shea says that like-minded people often live near one another. “There is one socce...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health i-Team Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Syndicated Local Watch Listen Cape Cod Cape Cod Hospital Dr. Sharon Daley immunization Kim Shea Lauren Leamanczyk Vaccine Source Type: news