Mandatory School Vaccinations: Importance, Controversy, and Solutions

This presentation discusses the importance of mandatory school vaccinations in protecting children against severe illness and complications of vaccine-preventable diseases. It also covers the controversy surrounding it due to religious reasons, the constitutional issues involved, and the influences on policy. The presentation suggests possible solutions to the problem and highlights the success of the policies implemented in some states.

Mandatory School Vaccinations
Name of the Student
Name of the University

Thesis Statement
Vaccination is important for protecting children
against severe illness and complications of vaccine-
preventable diseases and government also made
the school vaccination mandatory; however, some
parents do not want their children to get
vaccinated because of religious reasons

Nature of the problem and controversy
The main health issues are
measles, whooping coughing,
polio, smallpox and rubella
Occurred due to less
immunity among children
Many infants died due to
these health issues
Infected people can cause
health threats to other
people
Nature of the Problem

Controversy
Parents do not want their children to get
vaccinated for religious reason
They also have the option choosing not to
vaccinate their children
Some children are not old enough to get the
vaccination but admitted to the school
Nature of the problem and controversy Contd…

Background of the problem
Every year 3 to 4 million death occurred from measles
Almost 500,000 cases of measles (Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2018)
4,000 cases with brain swelling
48,000 hospitalizations
However, in 2004 there are 37 measles cases which were 667 in 2014

Background of the problem Contd…
10 people in the US suffers from Rubella every year
(Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018)
Mainly occur due to traveling outside the US
From 1964 to 1965, 12.5 million people were
suffered
11,000 pregnant lost their babies
20,000 Children born with congenital rubella
syndrome (CRS)
2,100 of newborns were died

Problem faced by community when suffered from measles or other disease
90% of the people come in contact with measles
infected person suffered from the same disease
Children face severe skin rash, high fever,
coughing and sneezing
Common among children of 5 and adults more
than 20 years old
Probability of poor children to get infected is more
Background of the problem Contd…

Problem faced by community when suffered from measles or other disease
Recovery from measles can be left with permanent
disabilities
 In many nation, parents do not have immunization
services access
These disease are eliminated from the united
States
However, can occur when exposed to infected
people through traveling to distant people
Background of the problem Contd…

Importance of mandatory school vaccinations
Every community is faced with a specific immune disease
So, in order to enhance the immunity system, vaccinations
should be made mandatory
It can promote group immunity
Through mandatory school vaccinations children can be
treated from their childhood to diminish disability in future
Background of the problem Contd…

Background of the problem Contd…
Constitutional issues involved
• School-entry vaccination regulations
• State Healthcare Facility Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
(MMR) Vaccination Laws (Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2018)
• School Vaccination Laws
•Pepperdine Law (Michael Sanzo 1991)

Areas of exception for school mandatory vaccination
Background of the problem Contd…

Influences on policy
In 1989-91, outbreak of measles resulted in medical cost of
100 million U.S. dollars
In 2011, 107 cases of Measles due to 16 outbreaks cost
$2.7 million to $5.3 million to local and state health
departments (Forbes, 2018)
Economic interests

Influences on policy Contd…
California Governor, Jerry Brown signed School
Vaccination Law
Includes children of all public or private schools
along with daycare school for whooping cough,
small pox, measles and other diseases must be
vaccinated
There is no exception for school vaccination
requirements but have procedures for requesting
for the exemption application process
Governors

Influences on policy Contd…
Only children with immune system deficiencies are
exempt on doctor's note
The required immunizations listed in the bill are
Measles
Mumps
Haemophilus influenzae type b
Poliomyelitis
Diphtheria
Poliomyelitis
Varicella (chickenpox)
Tetanus
Rubella
Hepatitis B
Other disease considered by state Department of Public Health
Governors

Influences on policy Contd…
65% of the American parents state that children should not be allowed
to be admitted in any public school without getting vaccinated (KQED,
2018)
Marin County has the highest rate of exemption of personal belief
which resulted in 6.45% kindergartners remained unvaccinated
Interest groups

Influences on policy Contd…
The media
The media helped in demonstrating the updates
made in the existing legislations:
• Parents’ personal or religious objections are no
longer is a valid ground for preventing their
children from vaccination
• The main ideas behind this is to prevent children
death and injury from vaccine-preventable infection

Influences on policy Contd…
It is found that
younger group agrees
more to the fact that
parents should decide
of the vaccination of
their children
68% of U.S. adults are
in favor of childhood
vaccinations
Older Americans
strongly supports of
the childhood
vaccinations
Public opinion

Achievements, limitations, and solutions
Strict state laws resulted in fewer US families to
opt for required immunizations in schools
In California, more than 3,000 exemptions were
dropped after personal and religious belief are not
considered
In other U.S. states like Kentucky, North Dakota and
Virginia number of children not vaccinated for
nonmedical reasons is rising
Success of the policies

Influences on policy Contd…
The media
The media helped in demonstrating the updates made in
the existing legislations:
•Parents’ personal or religious objections are no longer is a
valid ground for preventing their children from vaccination
•The main ideas behind this is to prevent children death
and injury from vaccine-preventable infection
•Excluding personal or religious objections will protect all
children from future diseases and restore vaccination rates

Achievements, limitations, and solutions
Calculate the number of birth of the child in a particular area
Register the name of the children, who are given vaccination
Note the number of exemptions signed by parents for not giving
the vaccination
Practices to measure the progress

Achievements, limitations, and solutions
Possible solutions to the problem
•Make parents knowledgeable about the importance of
vaccination in the early stage of life
•Use of visual representation and showing them actual
life scenario of the sufferer
•Government should also keep some monetary benefits
for opted for children vaccination
•Provision of outlets to the parents regarding the benefits
of the school vaccination

Reference List
 Alan Blinder, “Mississippi, a Vaccination Leader, Stands by Its Strict Rules,” The New York Times (Feb., 2015), available
at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/us/mississippi-a-leader-on-vaccination-rates-stands-by-strict-rules.html
 Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Measles Data and Statistics. [online] Available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/measles/downloads/measlesdataandstatsslideset.pdf [Accessed 29 Jun 2018].
 Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Menu of State Healthcare Facility Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
(MMR) Vaccination Laws. [online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/menus/mmrvaccinationlaws/
index.html [Accessed 29 Jun 2018].
 Clifton B. Parker, “California’s New Vaccination Law Serves as a National Model for Children’s Health, Stanford Scholars
Say,” Stanford News (Jul., 2015), available at: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/july/exemptions-vaccine-model-
072315.html
 Forbes. (2018). Measles Outbreak in Dollars and Cents: It Costs Taxpayers Bigtime. [online] Available at:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tarahaelle/2015/02/11/measles-outbreak-in-dollars-and-cents-it-costs-taxpayers-bigtime/
#54dc7a0b3f63 [Accessed 29 Jun 2018].
 Jacoba Urist, “How Schools are Dealing with Anti-Vaccine Parents,” The Atlantic (Feb., 2015), available at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/02/schools-may-solve-the-anti-vaccine-parenting-deadlock/385208/
 James Fanelli, “School Vaccination Lawsuit: Dina Check Sues NYC to Send Kid to School Without Immunizations,”
Huffington Post (Feb., 2013), available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/school-vaccination-lawsuit-dina-
check-new-york-city-staten-island-immunizations_n_2685650.html
 Julie Mack, “Vaccination Database: Look Up Schools, Counties in Michigan,” MILive (Dec., 2014), available at:
http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/database_michigan_vaccination.html
 KQED., 2018. California Ends Personal Belief Exemption for Vaccines. [online] Available at:
https://www.kqed.org/stateofhealth/41751/bill-ending-vaccine-exemptions-passes-california-senate-moves-to-governors-
desk [Accessed 29 Jun 2018].
 Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS), “School and Childcare/Preschool Immunization Rules,”
(2016), available at: http://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-73971_4911_4914-150235--,00.html
 National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) “States with Religious and Philosophical Exemptions from School
Immunization Requirements,” (Jul., 2015), available at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/school-immunization-
exemption-state-laws.aspx
 Robin Erb, “Michigan to Require More Work to Get Vaccine Waiver,” Detroit Free Press (Dec., 2014), available:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2014/12/11/michigan-vaccination-waivers/20270905/