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<br />A local school district is taking steps to guard against the measles. <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">The Mariposa County Unified School District said there is an alarming number of students who are either under-vaccinated, or have never received their shots at all. The district is working alongside the Mariposa County Public Health Department to provide free measles vaccines to students, especially to the reported 107 students who lack measles protection.</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Melissa Fluharty, a Mariposa mother, said on Thursday, "For me, it just wasn’t really an option not to immunize them."</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Fluharty said she feels like the benefits in vaccines outweigh potential dangers when it comes to her three-year old. However, not all moms are like Fluharty. MCUSD Superintendent Robin Hopper said there is a concerning amount of children that have not been vaccinated against the deadly disease.</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">"Right now in our schools we have approximately 10-percent of our students still not vaccinated, just for the measles," said Fluharty.</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Starting next Tuesday, seven of the schools in the district will offer the measles vaccine to students – for free. Dates and times are below:</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Yosemite Elementary School – Tues., Feb. 17 – 9:15am-9:45am</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">El Portal Elementary School – Tues., Feb. 17 – 10:30am – 11:30am</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Mariposa County High School – Wed., Feb. 18 – 8am-9am</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Mariposa Elementary School – Wed., Feb. 18 – 9:30am-11:30am</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Woodland Elementary School – Thurs., Feb. 19 – 8am-10am</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Alternative Education – Thurs., Feb. 19 – 10:30am-11am</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Lake Don Pedro Elementary School – Fri., Feb. 20 – 10am-12pm</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Hopper said, "Because of the rural-ness of our county, we want to do everything we can to remove any hurdles, any obstacles, for our families to be able to have the immunizations that their children need."</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">But, Hopper and Ryder said there will be parents who will decline and sign a waiver. It is the parent’s right, said Hopper and Ryder, and there is nothing that can be done to force them.</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">"This is an extremely safe vaccine, and the reports of autism and other side effects have really, very convincingly, been shown to not be true," said Ryder.</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Fluharty hopes other parents will factor in potential dangers to the community when they make their decision on vaccinations.</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">She said, "They’re putting my child at risk by the choices that they make."</font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2"> </font></div> <div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><font size="2">Ryder said if parents miss the opportunity to get their child vaccinated at the school sites next week, they can make an appointment at the Public Health Department and get the measles vaccine there.</font></div></div>
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