Michigan was 50th out of the 50 states in 1994, when only 61 percent of children younger than 3 had their recommended immunizations. That rose to a high of 78 percent in 1998, but fell back to 75 percent last year. Meanwhile, last year, for the first time since 1996, immunization rates fell for Grand Traverse children younger than 2 in preschool and daycare settings other than Head Start, according to the Grand Traverse County Health Department. Overall, rates for individual vaccines remain at or above 88 percent, and the greatest drop is just 3 percentage points, for the diphtheria vaccine. Still, it's a reason to pause, doctors say.
Every indication is that it is.
Melanie Cruse of Traverse City doesn't think so, however. The mother of three with a fourth on the way, Cruse and her husband, Rodman, have chosen not to immunize their children after starting to research it when their oldest was born. Their reasons include unknown long-term side effects, the real threat of the diseases the vaccines are supposed to prevent, and the correlation with chronic disease prevalence. I'm confident in my decision. For instance, her children have had the measles.