Parents Say No to School Vaccines

More parents are opting out of school vaccines for their children.

Medical Director at the Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department Dr. Vicki Whitacre said laws require students to receive certain vaccinations, but parents can sign a waiver to exempt their children.  She said some parents believe the shots can cause serious health problems.

"There’s not a whole lot of evidence to support really bad things," said Whitacre.  "There are extremely rare allergic reactions to vaccines, but usually your arm just hurts or gets a little sore."

Whitacre said the benefits significantly outweigh the risks.  She said without vaccinations, children can contract diseases that are almost extinct in this country, and they can pass those germs on to other kids as well as their grandparents with weaker immune systems.

"If we get our herd immunity down, where there’s not enough people vaccinated to keep it from spreading, we could have a real epidemic," said Whitacre.

Whitacre said she has seen outbreaks of Whooping Cough and Measles in the past few years.