In California, where anti-vaxxers have been especially vocal and vaccination controversy has become a more prominent issue following the Disneyland measles outbreak, the State Assembly has passed a bill that would require parents to vaccinate their children before putting them in school.
As Vice‘s Motherboard clarified:
Parents can still choose not to vaccinate their children if they wish, but those kids won’t be allowed to attend public schools or daycares, and will have to either be homeschooled or enter a private school. There are a few exceptions: kids who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons are exempt from the ruling, and only 10 specific vaccines are required, including the vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella. Children who have special education needs will also still be guaranteed access to resources they need if they are booted from public school for being unvaccinated.
“This past year we saw a small snapshot of what can happen when our community or herd immunity starts to drop,” said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego). “What happens next time? Do we wait until we have a full-fledged crisis to protect our most vulnerable?”
Although scientific research has shown that the supposed dangers of such vaccinations, like the risk of autism, are unwarranted, those opposed to such regulations are voicing concerns about personal freedom of choice in the matter and how it would potentially affect the availability of quality education for those families against the regulation.
The affects of fear steering this issue have made things more complex, as Dr. Kristen A. Feemster has pointed out recently in a JAMA Pediatrics publication and a op-ed piece for The New York Times. She said, “society has an obligation to stand up on behalf of children who do not yet have their own informed voice.” Dr. Feemster is currently an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases, a PolicyLab faculty member, and the Vaccine Education Center’s director of research.
The Senate approved the bill last month, but amendments have been added, like allowing doctors to consider family history when determining a medical exemption, and the Senate will have to reevaluate before handing it off to Governor Jerry Brown. A quick turnaround is expected.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Although this bill passing won’t necessarily change the rate of immunizations, which is currently just under 90 percent in California, it could prove to be a good incentive for parents to rethink their approach to the concerns.
All 50 states have legislation requiring specified vaccines for students, but this is a much more aggressive attempt at legally preventing the spread of disease that vaccinations can prevent.
Here’s a map indicating the current state requirements for non-medical exemptions from school immunizations provided by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Photo: Flickr user Sanofi Pasteur
