Two nationally known advocates for childhood immunizations will give a free talk in Coeur d’Alene on Thursday.

Patricia Stinchfield, a pediatric nurse practitioner from Minnesota who specializes in infectious diseases, and Dr. William Atkinson, a retired epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are keynote speakers at the event.

Thursday’s talk is sponsored by the Panhandle Health District and includes opportunities for audience members to ask questions about vaccines, their safety and effectiveness, said Lora Whalen, the health district’s director.

“We want people to get educated and to get educated from the right sources,” Whalen said. “There’s so much information out there. … I can see how parents could get confused.”

In North Idaho, about 73 percent of first-graders and seventh-graders are considered “adequately immunized,” according to 2015 information from the school districts. Benewah County had the highest percentage of students who were up to date on their immunizations at 80 percent. In other counties, the rate was: Kootenai, 75 percent; Bonner, 71 percent; Shoshone, 67 percent; and Boundary, 50 percent.

Some diseases, such as polio and smallpox, have been largely eradicated through immunization, which can lead to complacency about the importance of childhood vaccinations, Whalen said.

But even common illnesses, such as the flu and whooping cough, can lead to serious complications, she said/Becky Kramer, SR. More here (subscription).

Thoughts?