Tennessee's strong vaccination programs limit the virus' spread here

Shelly Donahoe, RN, nurse manager for Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic at the Hamilton County Health Department, holds a vile of the M-M-R (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine.
Shelly Donahoe, RN, nurse manager for Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic at the Hamilton County Health Department, holds a vile of the M-M-R (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine.

Hardly a month into the new year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is already reporting more outbreaks of measles than typically seen in an entire year.

Tennessee has had only 14 cases of the highly contagious virus since 1995 -- five of which were last year -- but the current outbreak in western states is sparking conversations among parents about the role of childhood immunizations, said Christy Tittsworth, a nurse practitioner at Beacon Health Signal Mountain Pediatrics.

"As the disease hits closer to home ... it makes it more real," she said. "It makes people think about if their children are immunized and if it will protect them."

So far, Tittsworth said, she has not witnessed a surge of parents taking their kids to be immunized, but she has been answering more questions than normal about vaccination.

As of Thursday, the CDC had reported 84 cases of measles this year, 67 of which they have traced back to Disneyland in Southern California.

Officials blame the outbreak on a lack of immunization. The Washington Post calls Orange County, Calif., near where the current outbreak began, ground zero of the "current epidemic of anti-vaccine hysteria."

In 2000, the federal government announced that measles had been eliminated in the United States. Enough people were immunized that outbreaks became uncommon, and stories of death from the virus were just memories.

But last year there were 23 outbreaks resulting in 644 cases, the highest U.S. number in nearly a quarter of a century.

Tennessee health officials say they are not too concerned about the spread of measles here, citing a high immunization rate of the combination vaccine known as MMR, which prevents against measles, mumps and rubella.

"The vast, vast majority of Tennessee's kindergarten students have two immunizations of MMR," which is the recommended dose, said Dr. Kelly Moore, director of the Tennessee Department of Health's immunization program.

"The thing I love about this vaccine is that it is one of our most effective vaccines," she said -- 99 percent of those who have been vaccinated are immune to measles for a lifetime.

In Tennessee more than 93.8 percent of children in private schools and 94.9 percent in public schools are fully vaccinated by kindergarten. The state does not track home-schooled students.

In Hamilton County, more than 90 percent of school-age children are vaccinated, said Connie Buecker, communicable disease program manager for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department.

"I doubt if you're going to find [a state with a rate] much better than that," she said. "... But still, we are all keeping an eye on what is happening with the measles virus because it is so contagious."

Moore said Tennessee is stricter than many states in requiring vaccination for children attending school. The state only allows exemptions for medical and religious reasons, and less than 2 percent of children in school are exempt.

She said some states that allow parents to opt out of vaccinating their kids are "coming to regret that decision bitterly."

"We in Tennessee have never seen a big movement [of people] not wanting the vaccine," she said. "Those that don't are on the margins -- not mainstream."

Still, there are people in Chattanooga who are against immunizations and the government's regulation of them.

Dr. Charles Adams, who practices medicine at Full Circle Medical Center in Ringgold, Ga., said, "Vaccinations don't work. Everyone believes vaccinations work, but they don't."

Adams said a big problem with most vaccines is the chemicals and metals in them. "You look at the list of ingredients and say, 'I don't want this in me,' and the propaganda is saying, 'No, it's safe.'"

Adams recommends that his patients take vitamin D and C, along with zinc, and frequently refers parents to the National Vaccine Information Center online.

Lucie Birmingham, who lives in Chattanooga, does not plan to vaccinate her 2-year-old daughter.

"I was fully vaccinated as a child, as were my siblings," she said. "My parents are completely opposed to me not vaccinating [my daughter], but it is a personal choice."

Birmingham said she researched immunization while pregnant, and found that many diseases commonly vaccinated against have been eradicated in the United States by modern medicine.

"The CDC is using this outbreak to fear-monger [people] into vaccines, when it is not the answer, and could very well be the cause," she said.

Alexa Williams, 23, and a Chattanooga native, said she believes vaccinations should be a personal choice.

"People should be made aware of the way they can avoid the vaccination requirements, as that is just as important," she said. "The interesting thing to me, is no one ever presents alternatives to vaccinations in a way that is socially acceptable."

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6592.

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