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| |  Refusing Immunisations Puts Children at Increased Risk of Pertussis Infection DENVER -- May 26, 2009 -- Children of parents who refuse vaccines are 23 times more likely to get whooping cough compared with fully immunised children, according to a study appearing in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics. This is the first study to use electronic health records to look for immunisation refusal and possible pertussis infections, making it the most definitive on the risk of vaccine refusal to date. While most families vaccinate their children, leading to dramatic reductions in several serious childhood illnesses, the number of parents refusing immunisations appears to be increasing in the United States, researchers said. The study could not determine from the information available why parents elected to refuse vaccines. The study also did not evaluate the side effects of vaccines. The study findings are important for parents who cite low risk of infection as a reason to choose fewer or no immunisations, and for researchers who are concerned that decreased immunisation rates could lead to more disease outbreaks across the country. "This study helps dispel one of the commonly held beliefs among vaccine-refusing parents: that their children are not at risk for vaccine preventable diseases," said lead author Jason Glanz, PhD, Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Research, Denver, Colorado. "It also shows that the decision to refuse immunisations could have important ramifications for the health of the entire community. Based on our analysis, we found that 1 in 10 additional whooping cough infections could have been prevented by immunisation." To assess the risk of DTaP refusal, researchers reviewed the electronic health records of children aged 2 months to 18 years who were members of Kaiser Permanente Colorado between 1996 and 2007. First, investigators confirmed which children had pertussis infections. Next, they verified whether parents had refused some or all vaccines for their children. The researchers found 156 laboratory-confirmed pertussis cases that met the study's criteria. They compared these cases to 4 times as many children of the same age and gender who were not infected with pertussis. Based on this analysis, the researchers discovered that children of vaccine refusers were 23 times more likely to be infected with whooping cough than vaccinated children. SOURCE: Kaiser Permanente
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