Vaccines for children

@Miller,

Miller wrote:

I don't believe the final word on autism v vaccination is out yet.

It's pretty conclusive, actually, that there is no heightened risk of autism.

a) The original study linking vaccines to autism has been completely invalidated. The "researchers" fabricated their data.
b) A Population-Based Study of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination and Autism

Quote:

Background

It has been suggested that vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) is a cause of autism.

Full Text of Background...
Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all children born in Denmark from January 1991 through December 1998. The cohort was selected on the basis of data from the Danish Civil Registration System, which assigns a unique identification number to every live-born infant and new resident in Denmark. MMR-vaccination status was obtained from the Danish National Board of Health. Information on the children's autism status was obtained from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register, which contains information on all diagnoses received by patients in psychiatric hospitals and outpatient clinics in Denmark. We obtained information on potential confounders from the Danish Medical Birth Registry, the National Hospital Registry, and Statistics Denmark.

Full Text of Methods...
Results

Of the 537,303 children in the cohort (representing 2,129,864 person-years), 440,655 (82.0 percent) had received the MMR vaccine. We identified 316 children with a diagnosis of autistic disorder and 422 with a diagnosis of other autistic-spectrum disorders. After adjustment for potential confounders, the relative risk of autistic disorder in the group of vaccinated children, as compared with the unvaccinated group, was 0.92 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.68 to 1.24), and the relative risk of another autistic-spectrum disorder was 0.83 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.65 to 1.07). There was no association between the age at the time of vaccination, the time since vaccination, or the date of vaccination and the development of autistic disorder.

Full Text of Results...
Conclusions

This study provides strong evidence against the hypothesis that MMR vaccination causes autism.

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Quote:

I don't believe the final word on autism v vaccination is out yet.

You are wrong about that.

Joe(move on)Nation

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Although the OP didn't reveal a specific location for her inquiry, I can't actually find any country wherein vaccinations are mandatory for children.

In the U.S., it's only compulsory for adults wishing to enlist in the military.

Interesting.

1 Reply

@Irishk,

In the US, some states make vaccinations mandatory for children starting school or child care.

I think I saw something about the UK requiring vaccinations for kids starting school, too.

It appears that you can avoid vaccinating kids as long as you homeschool them.

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@DrewDad,

Well you also need to have your doggie vaccinated in order to go to doggie day care or for any sort of boarding.

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Quote:

In the U.S., it's only compulsory for adults wishing to enlist in the military.

When there was a draft, the shots were mandatory, soldier.

Joe(Siryessir)Nation

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@DrewDad,

Well, they can call it 'mandatory' or even insist that it's a 'law' to be complied with prior to entering public school or child care facilities, but if they offer easily obtained exemptions, then is it really mandatory?

Vaccination can be strongly recommended, I'd think, but, constitutionally, a public school wouldn't have the right to deny admission based simply on a child's immunization record.

In the case of California, what they do have a legal right to do is deny admission to an unimmunized child during an outbreak, if the record shows that child has not been immunized against that particular disease. But, that child has every right to return to school once the outbreak is diminished.

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@Irishk,

Irishk wrote:

Vaccination can be strongly recommended, I'd think, but, constitutionally, a public school wouldn't have the right to deny admission based simply on a child's immunization record.

Why would you think that? Schools can exclude students who are infectious or who pose health hazards to their fellow students regardless of the religious beliefs of the parents or any other excuse offered. Allowing your children to be vectors for spreading preventable childhood diseases seems like a good reason to ban them from the classroom.

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@engineer,

From http://vaccines.procon.org/

Quote:

All 50 states require vaccinations for children entering public schools even though no mandatory federal vaccination laws exist. All 50 states issue medical exemptions, 48 states (excluding Mississippi and West Virginia) permit religious exemptions [1], and 20 states allow an exemption (71 KB) [32] for philosophical reasons.

Quote:

On Feb. 20, 1905, mandatory vaccination was upheld by the US Supreme Court case Jacobson v. Massachusetts (89 KB) . [26] In the aftermath of the ruling more states across the country began to implement mandatory child vaccination as a condition of public school attendance.

On Nov. 13, 1922, the constitutionality of mandatory vaccination of school children was once again challenged and upheld in the case Zucht v. King (178 KB) . [43]

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@engineer,

Quote:

Schools can exclude students who are infectious or who pose health hazards to their fellow students

Yes, but they can't deny admission to otherwise healthy, unvaccinated children.

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@Irishk,

Why is that? If an otherwise healthy student came in with an open wound, the school could insist it be dressed even if it wasn't infected right? Two states do not offer exemptions to school policies except for medical reasons so clearly school systems can exclude students.

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I found this information in reference to my state...

"This memorandum explains the legal underpinnings of the DPH power to require immunization and quarantine in the school setting. After more than a century of favorable case law, it is clear that the DPH has the duty to protect the health and safety of the public and that both immunization and quarantine in the school context are reasonable means by which to achieve that goal. The existing DPH regulations respect families' religious beliefs relating to immunization, while at the same time acknowledge that the rights of all individuals, including those with sincere religious beliefs, must at times defer to society's interest in protecting the public against the spread of disease."

There is alot of info here - but basically in MA - they have given authority to the Mass Dept of Health to determine vaccination required for entry to school and the Supreme Court has upheld this several times....even for private schools they Dept of Health has authority...

"The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that a state may require public and private school children to be immunized as a condition of school entrance. In an early case, the Supreme Court rejected the notion that school vaccination laws are discriminatory because they mandate vaccination among children, but not others. Adams v. Milwaukee, 228 U.S. 572 (1913). The Court found that lawmakers have the discretion to apply vaccination and immunization laws against selected groups, like school children, without violating the equal protection clause so long as protected classes, such as gender and religious affiliation, are not implicated. Id. "

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Uh_e4QYVCAQJ:www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/cdc/reporting/iq_immunization_req_mdph_power.rtf+massachusetts+can+public+schools+deny+admission+due+to+lack+of+vaccine&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com

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No links, my lady (that's not to you, Irish, but kidding about myself) - but I remember reading and being convinced by a serious med article, thinking more than one (I have my biases re what is serious re various sources, forget what this one was) that after a certain number of people, having a population of unimmunized folk can jeopardize public health and, if I remember, not just for the unimmunized (sorry, I don't remember the whys and hows). I used to work in the immunology field, but that was eons ago. No way I can just ask the old boss on that now. Will do a search on this when the whim strikes - just not right now.

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@engineer,

engineer wrote:

Why is that? If an otherwise healthy student came in with an open wound, the school could insist it be dressed even if it wasn't infected right?

That would apply, I'd think, to any student -- immunized or not.

Quote:

Two states do not offer exemptions to school policies except for medical reasons so clearly school systems can exclude students.

The answer to the OP's question is still 'yes', since all states offer at least one type of exemption. If she lives in Mississippi or W. Virginia, she need only get a note from her pediatrician.

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@Irishk,

Irishk wrote:

In the case of California, what they do have a legal right to do is deny admission to an unimmunized child during an outbreak, if the record shows that child has not been immunized against that particular disease. But, that child has every right to return to school once the outbreak is diminished.

There was an outbreak of pertussis in my daughter's school which brought
on the booster shot for pertussis by the next school year. The note clearly
stated that every student will be sent home if they don't show proof of
immunization and we're in southern California here. So, we'll see what
happens....

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@CalamityJane,

It seems at least in MA if the Dept of Health determines it is serious enough even religious beliefs do not superceede the health of all so in some cases even religious belief is not a reason.

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@CalamityJane,

I saw that. They even passed legislation (can't remember the HB number offhand), but if you pull it up online, it clearly states the two exemptions are still in effect. Children who haven't been properly immunized and haven't applied for exemption will be sent home. (Personal exemption is really easy -- the parent/guardian just has to sign the statement in the back of the provided immunization record booklet).

I think the pertussis outbreak was fairly widespread in California, according to online newspaper accounts. Booster shots were also recommended for adults.

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@Irishk,

Yes, I will get a booster shot too, Irishk. One of my adult friends had pertussis a few years back and it was most painful and gruesome for her and lingered on for good a year.

Along with my kid, I was one of the first in line to get a chickenpox vaccine when it became available, as I never had it. I am a firm believer in immunization.

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There is an ongoing Measles outbreak in the Salt Lake City area, contacted originally in Kenya. It costs government and schools districts a ton of cash when these completely unnecessary outbreaks occur. When and if they cases happen, people - Parents that haven't been vaccinated or refused vaccines should have to pay for the costs associated with these potentially deadly disease infestations. Why should the rest of the population have to coddle and fork out the cash to cover their selfishness?

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@CalamityJane,

I asked recently at my clinic re pertussis immunization as I've never had it and I'd rather not get it, but they don't have the vaccine. I never had chicken pox either. Measles I'm not sure. I had one of them, I think rubella, but maybe not, when I was about six. I did have scarlet fever. Oh well.

1 Reply

Vaccines for children

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