Local measles vaccination rates vary by school
Story updated Feb. 10 to include local vaccination rates:
More than a quarter of schools in California have measles-immunization rates for kindergarteners that are below the 92 to 94 percent the C.D.C. says is needed to maintain so-called herd immunity, the New York Times reports.
Locally, Paso Robles elementary schools have varying degrees of immunization, according to statistics released today by the Paso Robles School District. Five out of six schools have kindergarten students that meet the safe CDC standard. Only Pat Butler Elementary School is below the standard with 85% percent of its kindergarteners immunized.
This could to be due to incomplete paperwork on the students. Of the 507 kindergarteners in the district, 465 are reported as immunized, 36 incomplete, and six had parental waivers. “Typically the students who were incomplete at the time of report were scheduled for a doctors appointment to receive the last set of immunizations which includes, Polio, MMR and DTP,” says district nurse Ashley Aiello.
Vaccination rates outside the district*
- Cappy Culver – 88-percent vaccinated
- Almond Acres – 80-percent vaccinated
- St. Rose School – 85-percent vaccinated
- Trinity Lutheran School – 95-percent vaccinated
- Pleasant Valley – 95-percent vaccinated
- Shandon Elementary – 85-percent vaccinated
- Templeton Elementary – 95-percent vaccinated
* As reported in the New York Times
No cases of measles reported in SLO County
A child showing a typical 4-day measles rash. Image from Wikipedia. No cases have been confirmed in the county,
San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department issued a measles health advisory this week warning parents about the risk of the disease. Measles is a potentially fatal respiratory disease that causes a rash and a fever. As of Feb. 10, 123 people from several states were reported to have measles, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Most of these cases are part of a large, ongoing multi-state outbreak linked to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
While California is currently experiencing a large outbreak of measles, the county health department reports there are no confirmed cases of measles in Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo County. There have been 99 cases of measles in California residents since the end of December 2014, the CDC reports.
“Children who have not been immunized against measles are at risk,” says Ashley Lightfoot, spokesman for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District, in a press release. “If your child develops an illness with fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, with or without a rash, please call your healthcare provider and keep your child home from school or child care.
“Again, there are currently no reported cases of measles in Paso Robles, but we take the safety and health of your children very seriously. Thank you for your cooperation in this important matter.”
For the past several decades, annual reported measles cases in the U.S. have averaged below 100. In 2014, that rate exploded to over 600, according to the CDC. The proliferation of the disease is related to a MMR vaccine controversy that led some parents to not vaccinate their children. The MMR vaccine controversy centers on the 1998 publication of a research paper in the medical journal The Lancet that lent support to the claim that autism spectrum disorders are linked to the vaccine. The research paper was retracted in 2010, when the claim was discovered to be “utterly false,” The Lancet reported.
San Luis Obispo Public Health Department health advisory
What is measles?
Measles is a serious respiratory disease (in the lungs and breathing tubes) that causes a rash and fever. It is very contagious. Measles can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children. For some children, measles can lead to pneumonia (a serious lung infection), lifelong brain damage, deafness, or death.
Is my child at risk?
Children who are not immunized against measles, especially infants under 12 months of age, are at risk. This is also true for any adult or child in your household who has never had measles or the immunization. Because measles is so contagious, it can spread rapidly once introduced and cause outbreaks, especially at schools or child care centers.
How can I protect my child?
Anyone not already immunized against measles should get immunized at this time. Two doses of measles-containing vaccine (MMR vaccine) are more than 99% effective in preventing measles. If you are unsure of your child’s vaccination status, check with your healthcare provider.
What if I don’t get my child vaccinated?
Your child may be excluded from attending school or child care for up to 21 days – for their own protection and for the protection of others. Although this often causes hardship for the child and parent, it may be necessary to prevent further spread of the disease.
What are the symptoms?
If your child develops an illness with fever (101°F or more), cough, runny nose and red eyes, with or without rash, call your healthcare provider and keep your child home from school or child care. White lesions called Koplik spots can appear in the cheek a day or two before the measles rash begins. A fine bumpy pink-red rash appears about two to four days after the first symptoms, beginning at the head and spreading to the rest of the body. Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before to four days after the rash appears.
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