County Sees Vax Rates Drop

Post pandemic plunge draws concern

Vaccines came into the forefront during the Covid Pandemic. Many folks were skeptical about the efficacy of the new  development designed to help combat and/or contain the illness while helping to build a stronger community immunity.
There has always been an element of anti-vax folks around, whether due to religious beliefs, distrust of pharmaceutical companies, fear of the possible risks involved or other reasons. However, the controversy surrounding the COVID pandemic seems to have sparked a dramatic increase in those choosing to eschew immunizations for our county’s children aged 1 ½ to 3.

This is the age when kids generally are getting the usual complement of recommended immunizations aimed at preventing measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, polio and more. And while the percentage in the state of Michigan as a whole has rebounded from a 4 year decline and improved, the rates in  Newaygo County continue to head south.

In July of 2019 the vaccination rate for this age group in Newaygo County was 74.6%.. In 2023 it was 61.3% having tumbled each year since ‘19.
And while this statistic may be applauded by skeptics of this form of preventative medicine, their decision is likely to make many of the young folks in our community more vulnerable. Some diseases that have been almost completely eliminated from the U.S., like measles in 2000, have found their way back and health care workers and researchers say this is due to lowered vaccine rates.

"Lower vaccine rates are not just a concern for individual health, but a threat to public health as a whole,” said DHD#10 Family Health Clinical Director, Sheila Parker.  “The resurgence of preventable illnesses, like measles, serves as a reminder of the importance of vaccination in safeguarding our communities against preventable, dangerous disease.”

There continues to be a lot of disinformation regarding these vaccines out there thriving on various social media sites, but for accurate information on vaccines, speak with your licensed health care provider before making decisions for your children. 
For  the DHD#10  Policy statement on vaccines please go to:
​https://www.dhd10.org/wpcontent/uploads/2022/06/DHD10_VaccinePolicyStatement_11x17.pdf

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