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BALTIMORE, May 02, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A Baltimore researcher Monday said most parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated are afraid of harmful side effects.
The number of parents claiming non-medical exemptions from childhood vaccinations has been rising in several states, and the main reason is fear their children could be harmed, according to an article by Daniel A. Salmon of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Sixty-nine percent of parents claiming non-medical exemptions feared such problems and were less likely than other parents to trust government and medical sources of vaccine information, the study found. Instead, they were likely to rely on alternative medicine.
"The rates of exemptions are increasing in many states; the concerns of parents with exemptions may also apply to parents who have nonetheless decided to vaccinate their children," the authors write.
"To maintain the public health benefit of immunizations, continued efforts must be made to educate the public. Many of the vaccine concerns identified among parents can be addressed through discussions with healthcare professionals and public vaccine information campaigns."
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
