Mississippi – yes, Mississippi – has the nation’s best child vaccination rate. Here’s why.

Washington Post ^ | 01/30/2015 | Todd Frankel

[GIdget2004]

It’s tough being a child in Mississippi. The state has the nation’s worst rates for infant mortality and low-weight newborns. Its childhood poverty rate ranks as the nation’s second worst. Overall, the residents of Mississippi are the unhealthiest in the country.

But there is one notable exception to these dour health stats: Mississippi has the highest vaccination rate for school-age children. It’s not even close. Last year, 99.7 percent of the state’s kindergartners were fully vaccinated. Just 140 students in Mississippi entered school without all of their required shots.

Compare that with California, epicenter of the ongoing Disney measles outbreak, where last year almost 8 percent of kindergartners — totaling 41,000 children — failed to get the required immunizations against mumps, measles and rubella. In Oregon, that number was 6.8 percent. In Pennsylvania, it was nearly 15 percent, or 22,700 kindergartners. And each of these states has suffered measles outbreaks in the last two years.

“It’s nice not having measles in Mississippi,” said Mary Currier, Mississippi state health officer.

The secret of Mississippi’s success stems from a strong public health program and — most importantly — a strict mandatory vaccination law that lacks the loopholes found in almost every other state.

[Buckeye McFrog]

So, the WaPo is celebrating the use of naked government force. What else is new?

[Alberta's Child]

It’s worth noting that dealing with communicable diseases is one of the few legitimate roles of government in health care.

[GrootheWanderer]

Nice to see Mississippi at the top of a good list for a change.

[Red Badger]

When I was a kid in Mississippi, in the 60’s, we got our vaccinations at school.

I remember 1st grade vaccinations, on kid was so terrified he crawled under a table, wrapped his legs around the table legs and would not let go, screaming and kicking anyone who came near. They had to call his mother to get him out from under the table.

That was 54 years ago. He is now a Democratic State Representative in the legislature..................

[momtothree]

“... dealing with communicable diseases is one of the few legitimate roles of government in health care”.

Then I wish they would legitimately stop illegal people from just wandering in here with the diseases they want stopped.

[cripplecreek]

I’m not opposed to vaccinations but the behavior of the vaccination at any cost crowd is making me glad I don’t have kids.

[Alberta's Child]

If it were up to the government of Mississippi that might be the case.

[DoodleDawg]

So, the WaPo is celebrating the use of naked government force. What else is new?

Would you call the required quarantine of ebola patients "naked government force" too?

[Buckeye McFrog]

Guess you’d like to drive out to the eastern part of my state and force the Amish go get vaccinated too, eh?

[JohnBovenmyer]

Article fails to comment on one important point. It doesn’t discuss vaccine complication rates in Mississippi. Given the nature of the anti-vaccination crowd and given the compost as a source it is probable they couldn’t find even allegations of any and chose not to report the lack!

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

As we used to say in Arkansas, “Thank God for Mississippi!” as Mississippi always kept Arkansas off the bottom of the list of “worst” states.

Now Mississippi is top in something.

[DoodleDawg]

Guess you’d like to drive out to the eastern part of my state and force the Amish go get vaccinated too, eh?

How many of them attend state public schools?

[1malumprohibitum]

“we” wouldn’t quarantine anyone with Ebola, especially foreigners. A better question would be why are we letting in foreigners w/zero health screening & no vaccination requirements while clamoring for imprisoning Americans for the same thing?

[BwanaNdege]

It appears that the WaPo is not above a little snarky racism! (to give them the benefit of the doubt, this may be nothing more that Yankee superiority manifesting itself.)

Mississippi – yes, Mississippi – has the nation’s best child vaccination rate.

Rank	State	African-American Alone
Population (2010)[1]	% African-American
1	Mississippi	1,074,200	37.30%
2	Louisiana	1,452,396	31.98%
3	Georgia	2,950,435	30.02%
4	Maryland	1,700,298	29.44%
5	South Carolina	1,290,684	28.48%
6	Alabama	1,251,311	26.38%
7	North Carolina	2,048,628	21.60%
8	Delaware	191,814	20.95%
9	Virginia	1,551,399	19.91%
10	Tennessee	1,055,689	16.78%

[onyx]

1st in something!
Magnolia State PING!

[iowamark]

I believe that, in the 1940’s(?), Mississippi was the only state where blacks were the majority of the population.

[BwanaNdege]

These states alone have had a majority Black population, for the periods indicated:

South Carolina 1820’s-1920’s
Mississippi 1840’s - 1930’s
Louisiana 1810 - 1890’s (except 1860’s - 49.5%)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_African-American_population

U.S. Census Bureau (2011). “2010 Census Interactive Population Search”. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
“Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States”. Census.gov. Retrieved September 15, 2012.

[BwanaNdege]

Here is a comparison of the demographics of cities.

"There are 19 American cities with populations over 100,000 that have majority (over 50%) Black or African-American populations."

City	Total Population	Black or African American, alone or mixed with other races	Black or African American, alone	Mixed-race Black/African-American
Rank	Percent of total population	Rank	Percent of
total population	Rank	Percent of
total population
Detroit, MI	713,777	1	84.3	1	82.7	83	1.6
Jackson, MS	173,514	2	80.1	2	79.4	242	0.7
Miami Gardens, FL	107,167	3	77.9	3	76.3	91	1.6
Birmingham, AL	212,237	4	74.0	4	73.4	257	0.6
Baltimore, MD	620,961	5	65.1	5	63.7	134	1.3
Memphis, TN	646,889	6	64.1	6	63.3	225	0.8
New Orleans, LA	343,831	7	61.2	7	60.2	184	1.0
Flint, MI	102,434	8	59.5	9	56.6	9	2.9
Montgomery, AL	205,764	9	57.4	8	56.6	231	0.8
Savannah, GA	136,286	10	56.7	10	55.4	139	1.3

[deport]

Current estimated Black population by state... 2013

http://blackdemographics.com/population/black-state-population/