Lane County Health Officials are encouraging parents to take advantage of the holiday break by getting their children vaccinated.
Families have several weeks with no school, and for some parents, extended time off. Approximately 30,000 children aren't vaccinated in Oregon, and the primary reason is due to old religious exemptions.
Jason Davis is a spokesman for Lane County Health & Human Services. He says the State ranks first in the nation in allowing the most vaccine exceptions for children, and Lane County is in the top tier.
Davis: "We've been working really hard to change this and try to protect our community. And our public health partners at the state and also federally have been able to pass an Oregon State Senate Bill: 895, which requires parents to take a few extra steps in order to get that exemption for their children."
Davis says some parents want to vaccinate their children, but may be too busy working multiple jobs. He says this is the time of year many parents get caught up on errands like getting children current on vaccines.
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