Now that President Obama has publicly supported getting your kids vaccinated.

Appearances, you know.

Just give a "religious exemption" to everyone and raise the price of vaccines, shut down a few more clinics and hospitals and BINGO! Right back on the bottom where Mississippi is happiest!

at least according to what the PBS News Hour reported earlier this evening. I was surprised at Mississippi's numbers. This, from your link, explains why they're so high:

state in the nation and has more kids in public schools where vaccinations are mandatory.

Something other states will allow which has resulted in broken herd immunity.

The only allowable exemption in Mississippi is medical necessity.

All students need to be immunized in every state to protect everyone.

Well, it's better than number one in Klan violence.

Congratulations to the Magnolia State.

the powers that be need to keep their own kind protected from all the diseases 'those people' can spread around, so they made it a law. their own kids don't go to public schools (trust me; virtually no white family in MS sends their kids to public schools, no matter how poor they are). this is all about controlling the black population, which they still feel like they own. so they treat black like they treat their livestock; up on their shots.

it's a sick business, that state. sigh.

Mississippi Public School Statistics / Demographics
Total Number of Students 494,297
American Indian/Alaska Native 2,684
Asian 4,321
Hispanic 10,468
Black 235,572
White 202,901
Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander 55
2 or more races 2,344

Looks to me like a lot of white children attend public schools, no matter how poor they are.

The post that I replied to was stating that in MS vaccinations were somehow a racial issue, which I find baffling since measles is not a disease carried by just "those people." He/she further implied that there were virtually no white children in public schools, when in fact whites make up over 40 percent of the total. I prefer facts rather than comments that are somewhat inflammatory and contribute nothing to understanding the situation.

Since black children are less than 50 percent of the public school population, I would assume that something other than racism was behind the laws that resulted in most children regardless of race being vaccinated. Mississippi, like the other Southern states, has a long history of racism, but every once in a while, they actually do things that have nothing to do with feelings of "owning" blacks.

black folks are more highly represented among those in public school, and that's where the vaccinations are required and perhaps provided, their vaccination rate is higher across the state.

It is interesting however. I have not met a black anti-vaxxer, though I am positive there must be some. It appears to be something more popular among white folk, and most times those with money, something else that could contribute to the disparity.

I don't know anything about private schools in MS, but my daughter attended a private school and also parochial schools in GA and proof of vaccinations were always required. It doesn't make sense for them not to.

I have also not run into a black anti-vaxxer, although most that I hear from are on the net and I don't always know their race.

thinking that where profit is involved rules may not apply as they do to others.

Thinking about it, those schools likely don't have the reporting requirements of a public schoolrs do, so drawing much in the way of assumptions from this may not be a great use of time.

Surprise! He was a star football player.

not 494,296 total students it claims


doesn't say much about ms public schools site if they can't correctly ad 7 numbers together

Way to go, Mississippi.

in poverty, school drop out, child health, etc.
Sad for both states.

Divorce, low teacher pay, etc.
Ignorant and damned proud of it! What a great state!

What poor person has time to be googling potential side effects of vaccines?

The group Mississippi Parents for Vaccine Rights are trying to get state laws changed.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/politicalledger/2015/01/12/vaccinations-mississippi-rate/21642253/

All you gotta do down here is say "Obama is for it" and the knee-jerk reflex is to eliminate it, whatever it is.

According to the article, religious exemptions are unconstitutional under the Mississippi constitution.

It's extremely unlikely they'll get the "philosophical" exemption accepted.

And Mississippi grants all medical exemptions submitted by physicians, so they'll never get the medical exemption they want, which is one where the parent claims medical necessity with no verification.

Making it easier to opt out of vaccination. That #1 status will be short-lived if the bill passes.

http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2015/pdf/HB/0100-0199/HB0130IN.pdf

That's the reason. Very few religious people in those States come from outside the vaccination loving branches of Christianity so they don't really see the need to exempt people from cults and such. Baptists vaccinate, thus Mississippi is happy to vaccinate.

nt

Now, they're going around it with the wording in a new law to allow "Conscientious exemptions".

Mississippi will become the Orange County of the south with such a broad exemption.

48 States allow exemptions right now. Mississippi and West Virginia do not. I don't play 'I predict the future' while talking about science and fact vs flights of imagination and prophecy. I don't think they mix well.

MS. is soo poor. I thought you were going to say they were the poorest, had the least education, the highest rate of unemployment or the most part time workers. I was actually really surprised to see they are good at anything, but that's just my bias from a bad experience driving thru the state.