What if we spend millions of taxpayer dollars on vaccinations and it doesn't change consumer behavior?

What if parents still refuse to immunize their children, even if the shots are inexpensive and readily available?

That's possible — even though Gov. Butch Otter did the right thing, however belatedly, by dedicating $2.1 million of "rainy-day" money to rescue the state's immunization program.

As we said in our Wednesday editorial, the money heads off a train wreck. When the budget cuts went into effect last month, some health care providers had to scramble to buy costly vaccines on the open market. Some got out of the vaccination business entirely. Parents were left to spend more on vaccinations for their kids — assuming they could find a place that offered the shots.

With the state's money on the way — barely in time for the new school year — parents should have an easier time finding affordable vaccinations.

Now, how will that affect Idaho's worst-in-the-nation immunization rates, which came in at an abysmal 57.6 percent in a recent Centers for Disease Control study? The money should help the Idaho numbers from sliding further, and I hope it will help Idaho nudge a little closer to the national average of 77.2 percent.

But that may be hoping for too much. For some Idaho parents, this decision has little to do with cost. It comes down to emotion — suspicion about the health benefits and effects of immunizations, and skepticism about a government program that tries to tell parents how to raise their kids.

As a parent myself, I've never understood this fear of vaccinations. It seems to take the personal-choice argument and apply to counterproductive decisionmaking. But I suspect that this phenomenon factors into the Idaho numbers — and the relatively low rates in neighboring Western states.

Idaho's numbers won't improve greatly — unless Idaho's government and health care providers manage to change the mindset. And this won't be easy.

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