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South Dakota ranks high for kindergarten shots
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- South Dakota parents are apparently doing a good job of getting kindergartners in for their shots.
• The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the state has some of the highest immunization rates in the nation for kindergarten students.
• The CDC surveyed records for more than 12,000 students from the previous school year. It found that nearly 98 percent of students that age were immunized for measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Ninety-six percent had their shots for chickenpox.
• Less than 1 percent had a medical exemption for vaccination and another 1.5 percent claimed a religious exemption.
• South Dakota epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger says the high rates help prevent the spread of disease and protect people with medical conditions who can't get vaccinated.
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CDC: First national sign of childhood obesity drop
MIKE STOBBE,AP Medical Writer
• ATLANTA (AP) -- For many years, doctors have been wringing their hands as more and more U.S. children grew fat. Now, that may be changing, with the first evidence of a national decline in childhood obesity.
• In 18 states, there were at least slight drops in obesity for low-income preschoolers, health officials said Tuesday.
• After decades on the rise, childhood obesity rates recently have essentially been flat. A few places -- Philadelphia, New York City and Mississippi -- reported improvements in the last couple of years. But the report from the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention shows signs of wider-ranging progress.
• "Now, for the first time, we're seeing a significant decrease in childhood obesity" nationally, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC director.
• But rates are still too high, he added. One in 8 preschoolers is obese in the United States, and it's even more common in black and Hispanic kids.
• "It's not like we're out of the woods," he said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday.
• Obesity continues to be one of the nation's leading public health problems -- health officials call it a longstanding epidemic. A third of U.S. children and teens and more than two-thirds of adults are obese or overweight.
• Some hope the report marks a turning point.
• "I really do think this is a pivotal moment," said Sam Kass, executive direc (Continued on page 19)
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