In fact, more than 90 percent of Ohio's preschoolers are getting vaccinated against such diseases as polio, measles, mumps and rubella, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Medical experts credit high vaccination rates with the sharp decline in reported cases of these childhood illnesses. Many of the vaccinations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices are required by state law. About 100 people die from complications from chicken pox each year, said Children's Hospital's Congeni. Problems could result if unvaccinated people never get the disease during childhood and therefore don't have any immunity as adults, he said.
Adults are at higher risk for complications from chicken pox than children.
Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center in Washington, D.C., disagrees. April Rogers, a Copley Township, Ohio, mother of three, favors more research to figure out genetic and other factors that predispose some children to react badly to vaccines. Her son Brandon seemed to be developing normally until he suddenly became silent and withdrawn at about 18 months old. Eventually, his doctors diagnosed him with autism. Most experts think the timing is coincidental, but others are more skeptical.