West Hollywood and Los Angeles have similar childhood immunization rates, despite big variations among schools and age groups. That is according to a new report by WeHo by the Numbers, based on data from the California Department of Public Health. The report looks at the immunization status of children at schools and child-care facilities in West Hollywood, plus nearby public schools that serve the city.
California requires children to provide proof of immunization when they start child care, kindergarten and seventh grade. Not every child is up-to-date on his or her immunizations. Some are catching up on their immunizations and need more time, or have been temporarily exempted for medical reasons. Their status is called “conditional.” A small number of children have permanent medical exemptions.
The remaining children either are overdue for their immunizations or have personal belief exemptions. The state stopped accepting new personal belief exemptions in 2016.
The chart above shows the immunization status of children in West Hollywood-serving schools and child-care facilities in 2015-2016, by age group. The fully up-to-date immunization rate ran from 80% to 98%. The low end of the range jumps up to 96% if the conditional (catching-up) category is included.
The report compares these numbers to nearby cities. For West Hollywood child-care facilities, the up-to-date immunization rate was almost as high as Los Angeles’ and not statistically significantly different. It was above Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, but below Burbank and Culver City.
For kindergarteners in West Hollywood-serving schools, the up-to-date immunization rate was close to Los Angeles’ and the small difference was not statistically significant. The rate was lower than in Burbank, Culver City, and Santa Monica. However, if the conditional category is included, West Hollywood’s rate was higher than both Santa Monica and Beverly Hills.
For seventh-grade students, Los Angeles and West Hollywood-serving schools were at the top among nearby cities. The immunization rate was 99% in Los Angeles and 98% for West Hollywood.
For more information, including how immunization rates have changed in the last ten years, see the full report, How high is West Hollywood’s childhood immunization rate?
Personally, I am extremely grateful that I received exemptions from vaccinations on conscience and religious grounds. It is my belief that it set a path to personal consciousness and responsible management for my own health. It has been one devoid of medication and medical intrusion, with the exception of a broken bone or two. Another benefit was not having been swept up into the medical revenue stream which also has a strong fear based contingent that makes one suspicious of every little possibility while ignoring the prudent care of one’s own body, an amazing machine designed to be capable of… Read more »