Colin Grindeland of Highlands Ranch gets a Tdap vaccine for school from public health nurse Raymond Levesque at the Tri-County Health Department’s International Travel Clinic in Lone Tree. (Kristin Morin, YourHub file)
Re: “Is Colorado an infectious-disease tinder box?,” Jan. 27 Alicia Caldwell column.
Alicia Caldwell raises important points in her recent column about Colorado’s vaccination rate and the ease of opting out of immunizations.
As a parent of two, the health and well-being of my children, ages 4 and 7, are top priorities. It concerns me that in Colorado, parents can opt out of immunizing their children with a one-time form — even though there is a series of vaccinations for children. In fact, current rules make it easier and more convenient to opt out than to provide immunization records to a child care provider or school.
I know there are many reasons parents choose not to vaccinate their children, but we shouldn’t make rules such that parents may opt out over convenience, especially when that decision affects an entire community. Opting out shouldn’t be the path of least resistance — especially when it comes to our children’s health.
Alexandra Fickenscher,Denver
This letter was published in the Jan. 31 edition.
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