MIAMI – CBS News Miami Investigations has delved into the health dangers that measles and other diseases pose to our community and can seamlessly affect unvaccinated people.
Our national investigative correspondent, Stephen Stock, showed the concern following outbreaks in two states.
Here in South Florida, CBS News Miami will take a look at school vaccination rates.
“68, 57 is low,” said Dr. Hanadys Ale of Memorial Healthcare System.
It corresponds with Broward County’s school-by-school immunization rates for private, public and charter schools. She is a specialist paediatric immunologist.
“Really concerned because there are places in which the percentage is so low,” said Dr. Ale.
Florida requires public and private school students to adhere to the vaccination schedule required to register for classes, with exemptions for medical or medical reasons.
Joe Gorchow, a reporter for CBS News Miami, asked Dr. Read if the rates he observed in Broward schools are similar to those of the game Jenga. “You’re left with pieces of Jenga and all of a sudden if there are enough people who don’t get vaccinated,” Gorchow said before Dr. Ale chimed in.
“Yeah, everything can go down,” said Dr. Ale. “And then, we will start seeing the comeback of diseases we believe are eradicated, like measles.”
Measles is a deadly and highly contagious childhood virus that causes a telltale rash. The Centers for Disease Control discovered 58 cases of measles in the United States last year.
According to Broward County Public Schools data for this school year, 23 kindergarten schools have a fully vaccinated student rate below 80%. Homeschooling, charter schools, and private schools rank in the bottom nine of 165 on the list.
None of the schools have reached herd immunity. The CDC says communities want vaccination rates of 95% or higher to reach the threshold.
“When we achieve herd immunity, we kind of like put a stop to the transmission of the disease,” explained Dr. Ale. “And then we protect the vulnerable.”
“Not every parent is going to want to vaccinate their kid,” shared Alina Diaz, a mother of a two-year-old boy. “I can’t force you.”
We confronted Alina Diaz at Pembroke Pines Park.
She expects it to come from highly contagious viruses from her formative years.
“It’s helping him from diseases,” Diaz said in explaining why she decided to vaccinate her son.
On the other side of the playground we meet other mothers who share the same feeling.
“They protect my son,” said a woman who goes by Natalia. “Prevent a lot of diseases.”
Not all of the parents we spoke with felt that vaccines were necessary. But they refused to share their perspectives on camera.
Gorchow asked Dr. Ale how she approaches this issue when they are hesitant to vaccinate their children.
“I’m dealing with that express concern,” Dr. Ale said. “I think today, with so much access to so many resources and so much fluency on the phone, other people are reading things that are maybe scientifically grounded or not falsified. “”There is evidence and they make their own assumptions. That’s why I love it when they tell me their worries, because I can deal with them. “
If you are at a vaccination site to vaccinate your child, please visit the links below in this article. We have information about Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital’s cellular fitness center and Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ “vaccine van. “
Click to view Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital
Click to view the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Vaccine Van
Read the Exception – Vaccination Compliance Report:
Exception – Immunization Compliance Report by Mauricio Maldonado on Scribd