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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Tuesday, February 26, 2019 Vaccine bills prove controversial amid outbreak tion would be given by med- ical professionals to patients in a packet before a child is vaccinated. The bill was introduced on behalf of Oregonians for Medical Freedom, an advo- cacy group that opposes mandated vaccines and doubts their safety. It is spon- sored by state Sens. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer; Den- nis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls; Tim Knopp, R-Bend; Brian Boquist, R-Dallas; and state Reps. Mike Near- man, R-Independence; Ron Noble, R-McMinnville; and Duane Stark, R-Grants Pass. Vaccinations have been successful in eradicat- ing dangerous diseases, such as measles. Over the past two decades, skeptics about the safety of vaccines have grown into a small but vocal movement. There are fears that vaccines can cause autism, though that theory has been repeatedly debunked by researchers. When unvaccinated rates climb near 10 percent or higher, the risk of an out- break greatly increases. Nearly all who’ve con- tracted measles during the current Vancouver, Wash- ington, outbreak were unvaccinated. The measles vaccine is 97 percent effec- tive, according to the Cen- ters of Disease Control and By AUBREY WIEBER Oregon Capital Bureau Introducing vaccine-re- lated legislation is the polit- ical equivalent of swatting a hornet’s nest. Regardless of what the legislation does, it’s guaran- teed to bring out emotional and passionate advocates. That was the case last week, when a bill that would require medical profession- als to give more information before immunizing a patient had a hearing in the Senate Committee on Health Care. The bill is seen as support- ing so-called “anti-vaxx- ers” though supporters say the goal is to provide more information. Federal law requires par- ents and patients receive a sheet from the Centers of Disease Control and Preven- tion. It distills the benefits and risks of getting vaccines to two pages in a way that’s supposed to be understand- able for the average parent. But those sheets don’t include other information, such as the ingredients in the vaccines. Senate Bill 649 would change that. It would require the Oregon Health Authority to main- tain a webpage with infor- mation on the ingredients of vaccines and their dan- gers. That same informa- EO file photo The Centers for Disease Control has reported that the number of children not receiving vac- cinations has quadrupled since 2001. Prevention. Sarah Bacon, execu- tive director of Oregonians for Medical Freedom, testi- fied that the goal is to give patients the kind of medical information someone would get with other medication, such as insulin. Bacon was backed up by dozens of parents, who tes- tified in person or wrote in support of the bill. But a panel of doctors oppose the legislation, say- ing this was a scare tac- tic and a way of confus- ing parents. The existing federal fact sheet is eas- ily understood, but a large Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Partly sunny and very cold Rather cloudy with a little snow Very cold with a snow shower Mostly sunny and very cold Partly sunny and very cold 23° 16° 24° 15° PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 31° 15° 26° 18° 29° 13° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 27° 20° 28° 19° 33° 14° 30° 18° 31° 14° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle 44/27 23/15 28/15 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 25/18 Lewiston 42/23 27/18 Astoria 44/26 Pullman Yakima 28/17 42/22 28/21 Portland Hermiston 38/28 The Dalles 27/20 Salem Corvallis 41/24 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 30/23 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 39/25 23/11 33/29 Ontario 42/34 Caldwell Burns 30° 25° 51° 30° 73° (1986) -2° (1993) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 42/25 Boardman Pendleton Medford 42/36 0.09" 1.62" 0.86" 3.15" 1.61" 2.14" WINDS (in mph) 39/34 32/28 0.33" 2.35" 1.02" 4.42" 2.33" 2.40" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 28/21 42/27 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 23/16 30/20 26° 23° 50° 31° 68° (1932) 6° (2011) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 43/22 Olympia 22/11 24/13 Tacoma Aberdeen Spokane Wenatchee 42/29 Yesterday Normals Records Today Wed. NNE 6-12 N 6-12 NNW 4-8 WNW 6-12 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 38/33 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 6:40 a.m. 5:37 p.m. 1:09 a.m. 10:51 a.m. Last New First Full Feb 26 Mar 6 Mar 14 Mar 20 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 86° in Tamiami, Fla. Low -38° in Bottineau, N.D. packet with page after page of medical jargon won’t help inform anyone, they said. An example is the ingre- dient list the bill would require doctors to give patients. Paul Lewis, the Multnomah County health officer and a pediatrician of 31 years, said the list includes formaldehyde, a chemical used in embalm- ing. A reasonable person could see that as dangerous. “Your body continuously produces, and eliminates, formaldehyde,” Lewis said. “The trace amount of form- aldehyde present in some vaccines is far less than the amount already pres- ent in the body. Any small amounts of formaldehyde in vaccines is promptly detox- ified and excreted. The implementation of this bill will frighten parents about a naturally occurring chem- ical and burden health care providers with having to give a lengthy explanation about a vaccine component with no health risk.” Paul Cieslak, medi- cal director for communi- cable diseases and immu- nizations for the Oregon Health Authority, said giv- ing a list of potentially dan- gerous ingredients without saying the level at which they become dangerous is misleading. “You can’t divorce chem- ical from the quantity when you’re trying to consider how harmful it is,” he said. The bill received written testimony from 59 people. After expert testimony, 23 citizens signed up to testify, though there was only time for a handful to talk for a minute each before the hear- ing ended. The crowd was lively, with people often dramati- cally shaking their heads at testimony from the doctors, and at times verbally object- ing to Lewis’ statements. The issue is popping up at a time when vaccinations are on the minds of many Oregonians. A measles out- break in Washington has 66 confirmed cases. Washington and Ore- gon public health officials and political leaders have called on citizens to get vac- cinated, saying it’s the most effective way to prevent outbreaks. “At a time when we are responding to the largest measles outbreak in the 22 years I’ve been in Oregon, I think anything that con- tributes to the fear of par- ents, inaccurate information about vaccines, we should oppose,” Lewis said. Suspects in Colorado slaying, other crimes held in Oregon ROSEBURG (AP) — Two men suspected in crimes across three states, including a deadly Colo- rado carjacking, have been arrested, authorities said Monday. Oregon State Police Capt. Timothy Fox said Jose Lopez-Jovel, 31, and Mat- thew Anthony Fanelli, 30, were being held in sepa- rate county jails on multi- ple charges. Fanelli, who is being detained for first-de- gree murder, is suspected of fatally shooting a man in Denver, according to local police. Both men are sus- pected of committing armed robberies in Utah and Wyo- ming, authorities said. The two men set off a police pursuit in Roseburg on Saturday when they attempted to steal a car out- side a restaurant, accord- ing to police. They failed in their effort and tried to flee but Lopez-Jovel was left behind and was arrested. Fanelli went onto an interstate, igniting a police Fanelli Lopez-Jovel chase. Investigators say he opened fire several times. At least one bullet disabled a state police vehicle and another hit an occupied child car seat in a passen- ger vehicle. But nobody was injured, Fox said. Fanelli then tried to car- jack another vehicle from a couple. Police say he shot the man, critically injuring him, and assaulted the woman. Police did not immediately respond to inquiries about the man’s condition. Fanelli was unable to take the car. His own car then became disabled and he was taken into custody. Denver police said a man was found with multiple gunshot wounds last Friday and his black 2015 Cadil- lac was missing. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. About two hours before the Denver shooting, Fanelli is suspected of firing a gun at a strip club near Colo- rado Springs after becoming upset when he was asked to leave. The El Paso County Sheriff’s office said Fanelli fired at the club manager and two bouncers before getting away but no one was hurt. It also said Fanelli physically assaulted a woman inside. Police say the Cadillac sedan was used later Fri- day in an armed robbery at a convenience store in Chey- enne, Wyoming, 100 miles north. Nobody was injured, according to Cheyenne police. Six hours after the Cheyenne robbery, the same men robbed a Wells Fargo bank in Park City, Utah, 440 miles west of Chey- enne, authorities said. Sum- mit County sheriff’s depu- ties said the suspects drove away in a black Cadillac. Oregon plan to protect student borrowers may end up in court NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY SALEM (AP) — Ore- gon’s attorney general is joining a growing move- ment among states to protect those who take out student loans, introducing legisla- tion that would crack down on student loan servicers like Navient and Nelnet. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum backed a pro- posal on Monday that would regulate student loan ser- vices and force them to be licensed under the state. It would also create a student loan ombudsperson to help borrowers navigate a com- plex loan process. “Graduates are often asked to make financial decisions with relatively poor information, and in a market where debt ser- vicers are ultimately call- ing the shots,” the attorney general said during a press conference. The proposal is based on Connecticut’s so-called Stu- dent Loan Bill of Rights, which has been picked up by other statehouses across the country. At least four states plus the District of Columbia have passed sim- ilar laws aimed at regulating servicers. Student loan companies have previously come under fire for allegedly mislead- ing borrowers into taking up unnecessary and costly repayment plans. The attor- ney general’s office said that at least 58 percent of students in Oregon gradu- ate with debt, and that the state’s outstanding student loan debt has surpassed $18 billion. Rosenblum said bor- rower protection is essen- tial in a world where student debt has become “inescap- able” and a “burden of a lifetime.” Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s 50s ice 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays EastOregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to EastOregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and postal holidays, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. 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