There are two groups of children who are inadequately vaccinated against childhood disease: the undervaccinated and the unvaccinated. Undervaccinated children ‚ those who receive some, but not all of their vaccinations ‚ tend to live in low-income, inner city households headed by single women with no more that a high school education.
The unvaccinated children ‚ those who receive none of their vaccinations ‚ tend to have mothers who are older, married, college-educated, and well-off (annual income over $75,000). These mothers have concerns about the safety of vaccines and believe their risks are greater than the benefits they offer. They were clustered in California, Illinois, New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and Michigan.
Unvaccinated children are more likely to catch mumps, measles, German measles, and other diseases we now vaccinate children against. These children are also likely to transmit these diseases to other children, even those who were vaccinated. (The vaccine doesn't work in every child.)
Pediatrics, 6/04, pp. 187-95.
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