The debate over vaccinations in Oregon gets to crazy quickly. Legislative proposals for the state to get tougher on vaccination requirements have been quickly met by swarms of people who believe that vaccinating their children might bring Rain Man to life in their families.

What did pass the Legislature may not be what we had wanted, but it’s better than nothing. As Bulletin reporter Kathleen McLaughlin wrote in Thursday’s paper, parents will likely soon be armed with more information about immunization rates at schools.

The new policy protects privacy. It doesn’t name which children are immunized and which are not. It would require distribution of overall numbers for a school. How exactly that will happen is still being worked out.

Some parents may find the information interesting. But it’s much more important for parents who have children who can’t get immunized for some reason. They will be able to get a picture of whether or not a school has a high enough level of immunization to provide some protection to their child.

Tami Pike, the head of health services of the Bend-La Pine Schools, said in the article she worries the information could create stress for some parents who may not want their children immunized.

It may. But surely parents who believe they are doing the right thing can handle clear information about a school’s immunization rate.

The original target in the Legislature was to seek the elimination of all nonmedical exemptions in Oregon from vaccinations for schoolchildren. That’s what Oregon should have done. But we hope that what Oregon has done will be enough.