Livingston's Vaccine Waiver Rate More Than Double the StateLivingston's Vaccine Waiver Rate More Than Double the State

8/22/13 - Local health officials are encouraging parents to get their kids vaccinated after discovering Livingston County has an alarming rate of waivers for state requirements. Michigan law requires that all school age children receive vaccines against certain diseases but waivers are allowed for religious, medical or philosophical reasons. It’s the latter that health officials believe has led to Michigan having the country’s 4th highest rate of waivers for the vaccine requirements. In Livingston County, the waiver rate was more than double the state rate at 13% in 2012. The Livingston County Department of Public Health says the diseases are recognized as serious public health problems that are important to prevent and it recommends people get the vaccines. Medical Director Dr. Donald Lawrenchuk says there are many myths and a lot of misinformation out there. He says some believe the vaccines apply to diseases that haven’t surfaced in years so there’s no need but in the case of busy, working parents, getting their child immunized may just fall further down on the to-do-list. Regardless, Lawrenchuk says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of prevention with these diseases and the high waiver rates locally are very concerning because that means there are a significant percentage of school age children who are at risk. Medical Director Dr. Donald Lawrenchuk tells WHMI the vaccines not only help keep children healthy and prevent disease but every dollar spent on immunizations help save down the road with long term healthcare costs. This year alone there have been 30 reported cases of Pertussis, also known as the Whooping Cough in Livingston County but since not all cases are reported, officials say conservative estimates put the actual number closer to 300. In nearby Washtenaw County, Lawrenchuk says there have been hundreds of pertussis cases reported in school age children this year. He says there’s a lot of scientific research about the effectiveness of the vaccines, all of which go through extensive steps and processes before being made available for general population use. He encourages parents to get their questions answered but rely on sources of information from credible sources and research the facts before making the decision to not get their children vaccinated. Complete information can be found in the attachment. (JM)