Exam 12: Immunizations Parent Choice Vs Public Health

State laws requiring immunizations for school entry have had a small effect on immunization rates, as compared to improved health care access.

The state with the highest rate of both MMR and DTP vaccination in kindergarten populations for the 2012-2013 school year was:

An outbreak of pertussis (whooping cough) in California in 2010 was at least partly attributed to:

Increasing use of the internet and anti-vaccination websites may contribute to controversy about benefits and risks of childhood immunizations.

Vaccination rates for school-aged children and adolescents show minimal geographic variation across the United States.

States with the highest rates of children exempted from one or more vaccines are located in which region of the U.S.?

Common themes on anti-vaccination web sites include both new theories and distrust of current scientific evidence.

Reasons for parental "vaccine hesitancy" may include worry about side effects, preference for "natural" treatments, and concerns about the pharmaceutical industry.

Wakefield's 1998 paper suggesting an association between MMR vaccine and autism was later retracted, and consequences included increases in vaccination rates in the United Kingdom.