By Miriam Raftery

September 12, 2019 (Sacramento) – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a pair of bills aimed at increasing vaccinations of children in California.  The measures will allow the state to investigate doctors who write more than five medical exemptions from vaccines in a year and also empowers officials to investigate schools with less than 95 percent of students vaccinated.

In San Diego’s East County, some schools have vaccination rates as low as 10 percent, according to data compiled by Shots for Schools, as ECM reported last month.

The actions come after doctors and public health officials voiced growing concern over the rising number of measles cases in California, including recent exposures at Disneyland and other tourist attractions--and amid vocal protests at the Capitol.

Grant Yourself Immunity

By Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna

August 14, 2017 (San Diego) -- Every week it seems there’s some new virus, disease, airborne, food contamination in which we have to exercise caution around or get an immunization.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could get an immunization against the 405 freeway and stop that spread of toxic traffic! How about from rude and obnoxious people? I guess we can never rid ourselves of those.  However, vaccine-preventable diseases can be prevented if we take the time and get our immunization shots.

By Miriam Raftery; Kristin Kjaero contributed to this report

February 6, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – The current measles epidemic  has focused attention on concerns over parents who decline to vaccinate their children.  In East County and San Diego’s inland region (East of I-15) the rate of unvaccinated children in local kindergartens is as high as 90% (at Holy Trinity, a private school in El Cajon)  down to just 1% unvaccinated at Mt. Vernon Elementary in Lemon Grove.

Countywide, the rate of kindergartners who are unvaccinated or not current on vaccine boosters  is 7.6%.