Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah pediatrician Charles Pruitt sees a disturbing trend developing in Utah, where parents are not vaccinating their kids, paralleling a drop in other parts of the country.
California reports the biggest drop in childhood vaccinations in more than 30 years.
Health officials there report 11,000 kindergartners missed at least one vaccine for measles-mumps-rubella and meningitis, among others, before entering school last year, simply because parents just didn't want them to have it.
In Utah, only 66.7 percent of children are adequately immunized, according to the Utah Department of Health Immunization Program website.
Pruitt, who works with Primary Children's Medical Center, says parents subscribe to urban legends that say their children will get sicker if they get their shots, by developing autism or other diseases.
Pruitt calls that nonsense, and is upfront with them about how kids would suffer.
"We going to see illnesses start to spread again - illnesses that should be of no concern, or illnesses that we have the potential to even eradicate."
Pruitt says, even as more adults lose their health insurance, county and state clinics offer vaccines for free.
"It would just break my heart to see a child come in so ill from a very preventable illness," he said.
Email: psamore@ksl.com
