Delayed Vaccine Trends

More parents delaying or refusing to have their children vaccinated.
USA Today (5/4, Szabo) reports, "Nearly 40% of parents of toddlers have delayed or refused a child's vaccination -- a practice that endangers not only their children but others around them." In fact, the "percentage of parents who delay or refuse a shot rose from 22% in 2003 to 39% in 2008, according to" a newly released "study, based on records and interviews of parents of 8,904 children ages 1½ to 3 and conducted through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Immunization Survey." Lead investigator Lance Rodewald explained that "interviews with parents suggest that many are influenced by medical myths, such as the notions that kids can't be vaccinated when they have a cold or that shots cause autism."