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CDC Numbers Show Chicago Students Behind Peers In Vaccinations

(CBS) -- Chicago school students return to classes Tuesday and one new analysis shows they may already be falling behind their peers in an important area.

Experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control say roughly 90 percent of children in Chicago have been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella.

That's close to the national average, but it's lower than similar numbers for the entire state of Illinois, as well as Indiana and Wisconsin.

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In addition, vaccination rates in New York City are around 95 percent.

But Chicago Department of Public Health chief medical officer Doctor Julie Morita denies the city's numbers are significantly lower, citing a margin of error around five percent.

She also points out that the percentage of kids vaccinated against measles has gone up three percent in the last year.

"The reason we're this high is because of the continued efforts on our part to make sure that people know that it's important to get vaccinated and to get vaccinated on time," she tells WBBM.

Dr. Morita says the biggest factor preventing that number from going higher is complacency about the potential for disease, despite the fact that nearly 600 measles cases have been confirmed in the U.S. so far this year.

She says the department is also working to get out the word about free vaccinations available to low-income parents in the city.

Dr. Morita says concern about vaccines' potential link to other health problems is not a factor.

"There's so much evidence out there refuting the association of vaccines and autism that fewer people are questioning the safety of the vaccines."

People can call 3-1-1 to find the nearest free vaccination clinic.

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