Aug 12, 2019, 2:15 PM
(From EdSource) Pending legislation in California aims to reduce pockets of low vaccination rates by cracking down on medical exemptions in cases where the issue exemptions are not medically justified. The proposed bill would allow the California Department of Health to review a medical exemption if a child attends a school with an immunization rate of less than 95%, or if the school did not provide the department with its vaccination rates. If passed, the bill is expected to be signed by gov. Gavin Newsom.
Health experts have raised concerns about the rise of medical exemptions, which allow families to excuse their child from vaccination because of either a temporary or permanent medical condition. Last year, 78 percent of traditional public schools reported that its students had all required vaccinations necessary to protect the community, while only 68 percent of independent schools met that goal, according to an EdSource analysis of 6,524 public and private schools in the 2018-19 school year. Experts warn that schools with 10% or higher medical exemptions create pockets of unvaccinated students who undermine the states’ high vaccination rates.
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