Delayed vaccinations among infants and toddlers could lead to health crisis

You are putting your child's health at risk they aren't getting their yearly vaccinations on time.

A recent study shows that nearly half of the babies and toddlers in the U. S. are getting recommended vaccines later than they should.

According to the findings if enough children skip vaccines, whole schools or communities could be vulnerable to diseases such as whooping cough and measles.

Researcher Jason Glanz, with Kaiser Permanente Colorado says if under vaccination becomes more common, it's possible that some of these diseases that we worked so hard to eliminate could come back.

Glanz and his colleagues analyzed data from eight managed care organizations, including immunization records for about 323,000 children.

Researchers found the number of children who were late on at least one vaccine including their measles, mumps and rubella and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis shots, rose from 42 percent to more than 54 percent.

Just over one in eight children went under vaccinated due to parents' choices. For the rest, it wasn't clear why they were late getting their shots.

Glanz suggested some children could have bounced in and out of insurance coverage or were sick during their well-child visits, so doctors postponed vaccines.

Glanz also added that there is no evidence that there are any safety concerns with the current recommended schedule and the best way to protect your child from infection is to get your child vaccinated on time.

The findings were published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.