As we have noted recently, vaccines and vaccine exemptions are hot topics in the news both pro and con. Parents who don t have their kids vaccinated because of unfounded concerns about neurological damage not only put their own children at risk, but also others in the community. A child who has measles can pass it to infants too young to be vaccinated, as well as harm those with compromised immune systems. And in some states, such as California, Oregon, and Washington, there reside vocal minorities of parents who, for health concerns or supposed parental rights, resist vaccinations, even though it is obvious how effective vaccines are in preventing disease. Just take a look at the graphic below although the CDC thought measles had been eradicated in the US by 2000, here we are 15 years later with measles outbreaks!
Finally, according to a Reuters story, legislators in ten states are taking action to remedy this sad situation. Both Democrats and Republicans have introduced legislation that is intended to minimize or remove the reasons parents can give to avoid vaccinating their children. The story noted that in 10 of the 17 states involved in the recent measles outbreak, parents were allowed to opt out of vaccination for so-called philosophical reasons. This basically means that a parent can opt out for any reason at all.
Thus far, no legislative proposal to limit exemptions has yet made it into law, although Oregon and Washington have already held hearings on their proposed laws. Hopefully, other states will accelerate their considerations so that these misguided exemptions can be eliminated before the next set of winter illnesses is upon us.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross had this to say: It s about time that some action was taken to drastically reduce the number of unvaccinated children in our country. No matter what the parents beliefs, the fact is that the best way to protect children from a wide variety of ailments is by vaccination one of the true health miracles of the 20th century. The only valid reason for an exemption should be medical, and that should be documented by a child s healthcare provider.