Christopher Pezzullo quoted in Sunday Telegram story on decline in child immunizations

Christopher Pezzullo, D.O., chief medical officer at University Health Care and assistant professor of pediatrics at UNE's College of Osteopathic Medicine, was quoted at length in a Dec. 4, 2011 front-page on declining child immunization rates in Maine.

Maine's declining immunization rate follows a national trend and is putting children and others at risk of diseases such as whooping cough and measles that were brought under control decades ago, according to public health officials. Access, cost and perceptions that vaccines may cause autism and other issues were cited as contributing to the decline.

Pezzullo was recently awarded a $12,000 grant to develop a strategy to bring vaccines to Maine children in less traditional settings.

In the Telegram story, Pezzullo explained that access is a significant problem in a large rural state such as Maine. Some parents have a hard time getting to regular appointments with a pediatrician.

"Can we make schools and day care centers part of the access for immunizations?" Pezzullo said. "Why can't our whole community bear some of the responsibility for the health of our children?"

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