Finally there's a report out showing that vaccination rates are actually quite high. You'll have to complete the free registration at "Pediatric News" to read this article, but the gist of it is that vaccination rates, except for Hep B, are at 95% or higher, which is what officials were hoping.

As a non-vaccinating parent, I really get sick of hearing the media and officials blame those of us who choose not to vaccinate on all of these outbreaks - whooping cough (pertusis) is the current one. What these same media "professionals" and officials fail to say is that the people who are usually passing on these diseases have been vaccinated. This makes sense, of course, since each vaccination carries with it the little gift of some of that particular virus or bacteria. They also usually fail to tell us that many of the people who acquire the disease during these outbreaks have also been vaccinated previously.

Vaccination is an extremely personal and very, very difficult decision to make, and I would never want to make a parent feel bad about the decision they do make. I just hope that it is a well researched and educated decision. It's a decision we certainly didn't come lightly to and one I still struggle with occasionally. Knowing what I know now about vaccinations and how our bodies function, as well as about the diseases children are vaccinated against and what other treatments are available, I feel that we've made the right choice for our family.

Oh, I found that link thanks to NVIC.