MSNBC recently reported that health authorities across the country are increasingly concerned about the growing number of vaccine-wary parents who are opting not to let their children be given routine, and important, childhood immunizations because of what these authorities say are the parents' irrational fears about adverse reactions to the vaccinations.

Health officials explained to MSNBC that there's no question that the risk of vaccination is far outweighed by the benefits of immunization, and that the parents who prevent their children from receiving vaccinations not only endanger the lives of their kids, but also the population of children they regularly interact with.

Dr. Ari Brown, an Austin, Texas pediatrician who represents the American Academy of Pediatrics, was quoted saying that “when more than ten percent of a community opts out of vaccinations, it leaves the entire community at risk because germs have a greater chance of causing an epidemic."

In the case of vaccinating children against annual influenza strains, doing so is particularly important because children are especially at risk if they are not immunized, HSToday.us previously reported.

Indeed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the results of a study of data from the 2006 National Immunization Survey “underscore the need to continue to monitor influenza vaccination coverage among young children, develop systems to provide childhood influenza vaccination services more efficiently, and increase awareness among health-care providers and caregivers about the effectiveness of influenza vaccination among young children.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Trust for America's Health also have stressed that public health experts recommend annual flu vaccines for all children with high risk conditions who are six months of age and older, and all healthy children six months to five years old.

“CDC, state and local health departments should encourage and support seasonal flu vaccination clinics in school settings to maximize flu vaccine coverage rates,” the groups said in a joint statement.

The Academy of Pediatrics has made educating parents about the safety of vaccines one of its top priorities this year.

Authorities say they are very worried about the impact of widespread opposition to vaccinations during a pandemic. The consequences could be horrific, they say with no hesitation.

Every authority interviewed by HSToday.us said that in the event of a pandemic it will be absolutely essential that children be vaccinated. They explained that not only are children among the biggest conveyors of contagions, but studies show children and teens between birth and 19 years of age account for nearly 46 percent of all H5N1 flu deaths in the world.

The reason is individuals with healthy immune systems ironically are more likely to succumb to H5N1 is because, unlike seasonal flu viruses, H5N1 upsets the chemical messengers that regulate immune function in a healthy, vigorous immune system. These chemical messengers activate an inordinate number of immune cells called a “cytokine storm,” which causes pervasive inflammation and eventual death if not promptly treated with antiviral drugs.

But if more and more parents continue to disallow the vaccination of their children, like as described in the MSNBC report, authorities not only have their work cut out for them, but they also confront a potentially serious public health crisis, authorities told HSToday.us.

CDC scientists reported last month, for instance, that the number of cases of measles in the US has reached its highest level in more than a decade, with nearly half the cases involving children whose parents object to their being vaccinated.

The scientists stated that "the findings [of their study] demonstrate that measles outbreaks can occur in communities with a high number of unvaccinated persons and that maintaining high overall measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination coverage rates in the United States is needed to continue to limit the spread of measles." 

Continuing, the scientists stated that "measles is one of the first diseases to reappear when vaccination coverage rates fall. Ongoing outbreaks are occurring in European countries where rates of vaccination coverage are lower than those in the United States, including Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.

Just as MSNBC found in Oregon, recently in New Jersey parents there also erroneously concerned about vaccine side effects and government intrusion tried to block the state from becoming the first state in the union to require flu shots for preschoolers, whom health authorities agree should be vaccinated.

Since then, however, New Jersey has required that flu vaccines be administered to preschoolers and children attending licensed child care centers. The state also requires preschoolers to get a pneumococcal vaccine and sixth-graders to get a whooping cough booster shot and meningitis shot.

Nevertheless, the New Jersey Alliance for Informed Choice in Vaccination continues to oppose mandatory immunization of children. Co-founder Sue Collins said, "I do not think that this should in any way be required for young children. There have not been adequate safety studies on this. We don't know how children are going to react to this vaccine."

CDC and health authorities across the nation strongly disagree, as do leading virologists. 

On the national level, organized opposition also is brewing. The Vienna, Virginia-based National Vaccine Information Center bills itself as "America's Vaccine Safety Watchdog," and it, too, opposes forced vaccinations, despite the preponderance of evidence authorities stress negates the misleading information these groups panhandle to uniformed parents.

In an effort to better educate parents about vaccinations and their importance, CDC has established a webpage for parents who questions vaccines and to address common misconceptions, as well explaining what risks parents are incurring by not having their children vaccinated.