Doctors Urge Vaccines; Some Parents Unsure

Pediatrician Bernard Ferrer consults
Katrina LaGrange and her two daughters,
Lauren, 2, and Lily, 4 months,
before an immunization Friday
at Bayou Pediatrics and
Terrebonne General Medical Center
in Houma.

HOUMA, La. -- A significant number of parents are delaying or skipping vaccinations for their children despite doctors' concern that doing so could expose kids and communities to life-threatening illnesses.

While children are required to be vaccinated before attending public schools, in Louisiana parents can easily opt out by signing a philosophical objection, said Dr. Frank Welch, the state's immunization director.