The environmental hazards at Malibu High School and the vaccination rates, which are below state averages in Malibu schools, are cause for concern. On the surface, both are invisible public health threats. Yet the PCBs, pesticides and other toxins found at Malibu High are the issues being rallied around by the Malibu community, not the issue of improving the vaccination rates.
Attention in the news is not new, as the dismal rates were recapped in The Malibu Times Jan. 1 “Year in Review” article and in the Jan. 8 L.A. Times article “A surge in preventable illnesses,” along with past articles in the New York Times and other publications. The issue has re-emerged recently, due to the measles outbreak in Orange County and the Immunization Alert email sent Jan. 22nd by Anne Ernst, the nurse at MHS, urging parents about the importance of immunizations.
The risks presented by exposure to unvaccinated students present far greater threats to public health than the levels of chemical exposures at MHS. The SMMUSD Board of Education has been proactive, transparent and responsive in addressing the environmental issues, and is equally committed to raising vaccination rates.
Feb. 8-15 is preteen vaccination week. In preparation for this, the L.A. County Department of Public Health has launched an extensive education campaign to raise awareness about the rise in measles and whooping cough and the importance of vaccinations. It is encouraging that vaccination exemptions within the SMMUSD have dropped from 14.8% to 11.5%, as noted in the L.A. Times Jan. 2 article “Fewer seek vaccination exemptions.” However, the article states, “Health experts say that conditions for an outbreak worsen when 8% or more of the population is not immunized.”
Rather than primarily focusing on a safe and healthy school environment to be free of toxins, concentrating on parents’ part in reaching or exceeding California’s vaccination rate average of 95% should unite Malibu.
Julie Friedman-Kagon