Religious Exemptions For Vaccinations On The Rise In Oregon.(Brief Article)

2001 SEP 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

Doctors and public health officials are beginning to worry about the growing number of parents who are denying vaccinations for their school-age children because of religious reasons.

According to the Oregon Health Division, 2.7% of children in that state had such exemptions for vaccinations this past spring (2001). The figure had hovered around 1% for the past decade.

The exemption is allowed under state law, but its increasing use doesn't mean more Oregon parents are finding faith. There is a growing antivaccination movement, led by people who are convinced that many vaccinations are at best unnecessary and at worst dangerous to their children's health.

Under state law, religion is defined as "any system of beliefs, practices, or ethical values." Documentation for the criteria isn't required, and parents simply sign a state health form.

"That rule is so big, you could drive a truck through it," Jackson County health director Hank Collins said in a story published in The Sunday Oregonian newspaper.

Jackson County, and Ashland in particular, has one of the highest exemption rates in the state. County figures show that an estimated 12% of Ashland children have religious exemptions for shots. At one preschool, the number of kids exempted runs as high as 34%.