VANCOUVER, Wash. — U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams spent some time with doctors and nurses at a pediatric clinic in northeast Vancouver.
One of his goals during the visit was to emphasize the importance of education about vaccinations.
"We need to make sure we are helping folks understand what the science tells us," Adams said. "States that have more opportunities to opt out of vaccinations have lower vaccination rates and a higher risk for vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks."
There are two bills debated in both the Washington and Oregon legislature that would prevent parents from using a personal exemption.
In Washington, the House passed the bill and in Oregon, a similar bill is being heard in committees.
Adams weighed in on the idea.
"What I really believe is that we need to make it easier to get a vaccination than it is to get an exemption," he said.
Vancouver mom, Cerisse Wilson had reservations about vaccinating her 1-year-old son Everett.
"Sometimes you end up googling the things you're most afraid of and finding the articles that wind up fitting that fear,” she said. “It's not necessarily a lack of good information but seeking out the info that agrees with my concerns."
Of the 70 cases in Clark County, 61 weren't vaccinated and the more Wilson spoke with her doctor, it eased her fears.
"Everyone wants what's best for their children,” Wilson said. “It eventually turned to where I had more anxiety about him not being protected by the vaccine, than by being fearful of what the vaccines could potentially do to him."
Adams said in the last year, vaccines in Clark County have increased by 400 percent.