Child vaccination rates vary

You’re a good parent.  You vaccinate your child with the MMR vaccine when he or she starts.  And you continue to vaccinate your child as the doctor recommends.

But, some parents don’t vaccinate their child.  What are the chances your child will get one of the diseases eradicated by the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps & rubella)?

Very slim.  Such activities depend upon what is considered “herd immunity”.  The more children vaccinated the less likely your child is to get one of the diseases.   The greater the number of children, the less likely it is that  your child will become sick.

There is some yardstick as to when herd immunity kicks in.  it varies by doctor and other professional’s opinion.  But, it is usually around 80 percent.   The higher the better.

The vaccination rate also varies from location to location.  Washington State is in the middle of the pack with a statewide vaccination rate of about 85 percent.  It also varies by county.

Many counties in Eastern Washington have vaccination rates exceeding 95 percent.  Some in Western Washington are around 80 percent.  Thurston County’s anti-vaccination rate is 5.4 percent.   The lowest vaccination rate is in Jefferson County with 10 percent (based on 2018 figures).

Most of the Lacey schools in the North Thurston district are right around the county’s average of 5 percent.  The elementary schools with the most un-vaccinated children are Meadows and Mt. View, both of whom are just slightly over the county average.  The highest school in compliance is Woodland with nearly 95 percent of its students vaccinated.

So, why, if your child has all of his or her vaccinations, should you care?

Because the failure rate of the MMR is 3 percent.  That means the vaccine doesn’t take in three out of every 100 children.