NEWS RELEASE
CT Vaccine Proponents Commend Public Health Committee for Raising Strong Vaccine Policy Eliminating Non-Medical Exemptions, Protecting Students
Feb. 15, 2021 – HARTFORD, CONN – Today, the Public Health Committee took an important step toward protecting the children in our schools by raising An Act Concerning Immunizations and reserving for public hearing SB 568, An Act Eliminating the Nonmedical Exemption to the Immunization Requirement. These critical proposals will help to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Connecticut’s students by eliminating the non-medical exemption for those vaccines necessary to attend public and private school in the state.
The exemption has been used in recent years to skirt the vaccine law, causing over 130 schools to fall below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s threshold of 95% needed for herd immunity against highly contagious diseases like measles. According to the Department of Public Health, the data shows a 31.1% increase in the number of schools that fell below the 95% kindergarten MMR vaccination rate guideline, and 41 schools have MMR rates below 90%. The overall statewide number of non-medical exemptions to vaccination increased by 25% between the most recent two school years. This represents the largest single year increase in non-medical exemptions for vaccination since the DPH started tracking the statewide data a decade ago.
“We are fortunate to have safe, effective vaccines available today that prevent dangerous and deadly diseases like Measles, Pertussis, Tetanus, and Meningitis, among others,” said Erin Jones, co-chair of the alliance and Director Legislative and Strategic Counsel for the March of Dimes. “We must do everything in our power to protect our most vulnerable populations who, for medical reasons, cannot be vaccinated against these preventable diseases,” Jones added.
“As a meningitis survivor, I have made it my mission to educate people about the importance of vaccines in an effort to spare children and their families from my own life-threatening experience,” added Francesca Testa, co-chair of the alliance. “Kudos to our legislators for raising this important and timely proposal,” Testa added.
“Our nation and our neighbors are witnessing the devastating effects that vaccine preventable disease outbreaks can have on our ability to keep our children in schools; removing the non-medical exemption is essential to assuring that all children are protected through community immunity and are safe in our school systems,” said Amy Pisani, Executive Director of Vaccinate Your Family, a member of the alliance. “The declining school-by-school vaccination rates in our state reflect a growing problem, and I am pleased to see our elected officials taking a stand to protect the children of Connecticut,” Pisani concluded.
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The Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut is a network of public health experts, organizations, parents and others with a common goal of improving the health of families, schools and communities through education and advocacy. For more information, please visit vaccinatect.org. The Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut network includes:
AIDS-CT
American Academy of Pediatrics - Conn. Chapter
American College of Nurse Midwives - Conn. Affiliate
American College of Physicians - Conn. Chapter
Brainerd Memorial Library
Connecticut Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
Connecticut Association of Directors of Health
Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents
Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers
Connecticut Camping Association
Connecticut Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses
Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians
Connecticut Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery Society
Connecticut ENT Society
Connecticut Hospital Association
Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians
Connecticut Speech-Language and Hearing Association
Connecticut State Medical Society
Connecticut Urology Society
Education Reform Now CT
The Emily Stillman Foundation
Fairfield County Medical Association
Hartford County Medical Association
The Kimberly Coffey Foundation
March of Dimes
The Meningitis B Action Project
Milestones Behavioral Services
National Meningitis Association
Nurses Who Vaccinate
Students for Accurate Vaccine Info (SAVI)
Trinity Health of New England
Vaccinate Your Family
Feb. 15, 2021 – HARTFORD, CONN – Today, the Public Health Committee took an important step toward protecting the children in our schools by raising An Act Concerning Immunizations and reserving for public hearing SB 568, An Act Eliminating the Nonmedical Exemption to the Immunization Requirement. These critical proposals will help to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Connecticut’s students by eliminating the non-medical exemption for those vaccines necessary to attend public and private school in the state.
The exemption has been used in recent years to skirt the vaccine law, causing over 130 schools to fall below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s threshold of 95% needed for herd immunity against highly contagious diseases like measles. According to the Department of Public Health, the data shows a 31.1% increase in the number of schools that fell below the 95% kindergarten MMR vaccination rate guideline, and 41 schools have MMR rates below 90%. The overall statewide number of non-medical exemptions to vaccination increased by 25% between the most recent two school years. This represents the largest single year increase in non-medical exemptions for vaccination since the DPH started tracking the statewide data a decade ago.
“We are fortunate to have safe, effective vaccines available today that prevent dangerous and deadly diseases like Measles, Pertussis, Tetanus, and Meningitis, among others,” said Erin Jones, co-chair of the alliance and Director Legislative and Strategic Counsel for the March of Dimes. “We must do everything in our power to protect our most vulnerable populations who, for medical reasons, cannot be vaccinated against these preventable diseases,” Jones added.
“As a meningitis survivor, I have made it my mission to educate people about the importance of vaccines in an effort to spare children and their families from my own life-threatening experience,” added Francesca Testa, co-chair of the alliance. “Kudos to our legislators for raising this important and timely proposal,” Testa added.
“Our nation and our neighbors are witnessing the devastating effects that vaccine preventable disease outbreaks can have on our ability to keep our children in schools; removing the non-medical exemption is essential to assuring that all children are protected through community immunity and are safe in our school systems,” said Amy Pisani, Executive Director of Vaccinate Your Family, a member of the alliance. “The declining school-by-school vaccination rates in our state reflect a growing problem, and I am pleased to see our elected officials taking a stand to protect the children of Connecticut,” Pisani concluded.
###
The Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut is a network of public health experts, organizations, parents and others with a common goal of improving the health of families, schools and communities through education and advocacy. For more information, please visit vaccinatect.org. The Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut network includes:
AIDS-CT
American Academy of Pediatrics - Conn. Chapter
American College of Nurse Midwives - Conn. Affiliate
American College of Physicians - Conn. Chapter
Brainerd Memorial Library
Connecticut Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
Connecticut Association of Directors of Health
Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents
Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers
Connecticut Camping Association
Connecticut Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses
Connecticut College of Emergency Physicians
Connecticut Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery Society
Connecticut ENT Society
Connecticut Hospital Association
Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians
Connecticut Speech-Language and Hearing Association
Connecticut State Medical Society
Connecticut Urology Society
Education Reform Now CT
The Emily Stillman Foundation
Fairfield County Medical Association
Hartford County Medical Association
The Kimberly Coffey Foundation
March of Dimes
The Meningitis B Action Project
Milestones Behavioral Services
National Meningitis Association
Nurses Who Vaccinate
Students for Accurate Vaccine Info (SAVI)
Trinity Health of New England
Vaccinate Your Family