There are exemptions for medical, philosophical and religious reasons.
Measles cases in the United States reached a new high this week with 695 cases reported to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, surpassing the previous record since the disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. The highly-contagious disease, now present in 22 states, has been spreading rapidly through communities where people are unvaccinated.
California’s Senate Health Committee recently approved a proposed bill to give state health officials the power to decide on vaccine exemptions rather than doctors. The motivator for the change came after the state eliminated the philosophical exemption and saw an increase in medical exemptions granted by doctors.
But moving to tighten the rules on medical exemptions has not been without controversy in California. Hundreds of Californians testified against the change. “Unscrupulous physicians are profiting from selling medical exemptions to parents seeking to evade laws to protect children at school. Measles outbreaks in communities with low vaccination rates are now spreading in our country and the world, and our public health doctors and nurses need to be able to protect our schools and neighborhoods,” said Doctor Richard Pan, a doctor and California State Senator.
"If you have a mandatory policy that makes it easier to opt out of vaccination, we see more parents refusing vaccinations when compared to policies that make it harder to opt out of vaccinations," Bester added. "If parents have to take steps like sign a form in person at the school and attend an education session to obtain a non-medical exemption, we see less exemptions and higher rates of vaccination.
Some of the areas where nonmedical vaccine exemptions have climbed in the past decade have also seen an increase in cases, like parts of Washington. The states with the lowest estimated vaccination rates though aren't the states where there are currently any outbreaks.
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