Vaccine rates strong locally

… all Chautau-qua County schools have immunization rates at or above 95 percent. But despite the strong numbers, county health officials say some vaccinations could see improved uptake rates. Before students enter school, they need to have …

Mumps hitting state’s Marshallese hard

The breadth of the outbreak of mumps in Northwest Arkansas appears to be linked in part to that area’s community of Marshall Islanders, the director of the state Department of Health said Monday. Meanwhile, the region’s high rate of unvaccinated schoolchildren compared with the rest of the state doesn’t appear to be a factor in the unusual size of the outbreak, said Nate Smith, director of the state Department of Health.