Increasing vaccine religious exemptions for kindergartners in Lee, Collier counties

Published: Updated:
Flu season vaccination. Photo via AP.
FILE: An unvaccinated 6-year-old Oregon boy was hospitalized for two months for tetanus and almost died of the bacterial illness. Photo via AP.

We uncovered more kindergarten parents are avoiding getting their kids vaccinated with school shots in Lee and Collier counties.

Alise Garcia said she vaccinates her kids. But, Garcia does not understand those who don’t.

“It’s a personal preference on your parenting if you do or don’t – I do it!” Garcia said. “I have family that doesn’t believe in doing that.”

State health records show that more parents are not vaccinating their kindergartners under religious exemptions.

From 2015 to 2019, the number of religious exemptions for kindergartners in Lee County increased from 118 to 130. In Collier County, it went from 62 to 77.

Robert Hawkes, the director of the Physicians Assistant studies at Florida Gulf Coast University, said these numbers in Southwest Florida are not significant enough to harm your child.

Hawkes told WINK News the numbers show a slight increase. However, we do not know if the number of kindergartners is also increasing in both districts.

“Intimately, the greater number of children that receive their vaccination,” Hawkes said, “the stronger and better it is for all the children in those schools.”

That is a relief for some parents heading back to school.

“It’s something they’ve always gotten,” Garcia said.

“He’s always been vaccinated since he was a little baby and it’s one thing i agree with,” Sammy Tejansie said. “I want every kid to be healthy.”

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.