NEWS RELEASE
With 134 Connecticut Schools Below CDC Guidelines for School Vaccination Rates, Lawmakers, March of Dimes, Physicians, Nurses & Public Health Groups Demand Action on Bill to Remove Non-Medical Vaccine Exemptions for School Attendance
Feb. 19, 2020 – HARTFORD, CONN – Organizations representing physicians, nurses, health care providers, public health interests, patients and others joined Public Health Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Jonathan Steinberg and Sen. Mary Abrams and other supportive legislators at the Legislative Office Building to urge support for the protection of Connecticut’s children by eliminating the non-medical exemption for state mandated vaccines.
According to the state Department of Public Health, there are now 134 Connecticut schools where the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate for kindergarten students falls below the federally recommended guideline of 95%. 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 religious exemptions to vaccination increased by 25% between the two school years. This represents the largest single year increase in religious exemptions for vaccination since the DPH started tracking the statewide data a decade ago.
“This is unacceptable and a growing problem, said Erin Jones, Regional Director of Government Affairs for March of Dimes and co-chair of the Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut. "We need to ensure that every school in Connecticut achieves the vaccination rate recommended by the CDC to keep diseases, like measles, from spreading and to protect our most vulnerable populations who, for medical reasons, cannot be vaccinated against these preventable diseases.” Jones added. “We applaud the leadership of Rep. Steinberg, Sen. Abrams, Sen. Anwar and others for protecting our children and supporting the science with the introduction of HB 5044, Jones concluded.
Together, parents, medical and public health experts and state lawmakers urged the Connecticut Senate and House to pass HB 5044 to eliminate non-medical exemptions to child vaccine requirements for school attendance.
Rep. Steinberg said: “There is nothing more important to parents than protecting their children. This legislation is intended to minimize the risk of highly contagious disease outbreaks that were once common. Preserving our established system of immunizations is essential.
Sen. Abrams said: “It’s time for us to take a stand for Connecticut residents and further support the CDC recommendations by ensuring our schools meet the standards on vaccines. We need to be one step ahead when it comes to protecting our children from preventable disease. California, Maine and New York have taken these critical steps by passing legislation to end non-medical exemptions. We must do the same here in Connecticut.”
“In the absence of vaccination, healthcare would cost $70 billion more every few years. 40,000 children would be at risk of dying from preventable diseases, and 20 million additional cases of infectious diseases would be diagnosed per year,” said Sen. Anwar. “Vaccinations have saved lives and have improved our average lifespan. Moving away from our traditional policies would harm our society irreversibly.”
"Immunization is a medical intervention which protects infants and young children, as well as adolescents and adults, from preventable disease. As a medical intervention, decisions regarding immunization should be made based on medical criteria for each individual,” said Jody Terranova, DO. “Parents who chose not to immunize their children for other than medical reasons have every right to make that decision. But they do not have a right to include that child in a school or group day care, where their lack of immunization has the potential to cause harm to other children. We cannot allow fear and misinformation to weaken our children’s safety net and once again have to care for children disabled by measles and polio, and other crippling childhood diseases. The children of Connecticut are depending on the legislature to help keep them safe by passing HB 5044 now, " she said.
“Communities are best protected from infectious diseases when vaccination coverage is high,” said Linda Niccolai, PhD and epidemiologist from Yale School of Public Health. “This is especially important in school-aged children to protect students who cannot to be immunized for medical reasons, and to protect younger siblings who may not be fully vaccinated yet because they are too young. Many schools in Connecticut now have a high enough proportion of unvaccinated students that infections can spread and place us all at risk. The time for action in Connecticut is now to ensure that children receive all safe and effective immunizations, unless they are precluded from doing so for medical reasons, so that not only are they protected but so are entire communities.”
“The members of the Ct Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses do much more than treat ill patients. They promote public health and well-being, which is why we are here in support of this legislation” said Juanita Castillo. “Health care providers, patients, families, and caretakers benefit from becoming immunized; and registered nurses have a responsibility in advocating for necessary vaccines throughout an individuals’ lifespan. Vaccinations protect the individual and the public from life-threatening, preventable diseases. Healthy individuals, as well as the most vulnerable, benefit from vaccinations. Complacency and a reduction in vaccination can cause diseases previously thought to be eliminated from the developed world to reemerge. As a nurse and now a cancer patient I believe this legislation is critical,” Castillo concluded.
“We are fortunate to have vaccines to preventable diseases like the measles and fifteen other deadly diseases in childhood,” said Amy Pisani from Vaccinate your Family. However, the school-by-school vaccination rates reflect a growing problem here in Connecticut as more families are claiming exemptions to vaccines for their children. Our children, including both healthy and medically compromised children, have the right to attend our schools without fear that those around them are leaving them at risk. This is about supporting good public health policy and protecting Connecticut residents.” Pisani concluded.
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The Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut is a group of healthcare providers, public health experts, nurses, physicians, organizations and parents that support good vaccine policy in Connecticut through the elimination of the non-medical exemption.
Feb. 19, 2020 – HARTFORD, CONN – Organizations representing physicians, nurses, health care providers, public health interests, patients and others joined Public Health Committee Co-Chairs Rep. Jonathan Steinberg and Sen. Mary Abrams and other supportive legislators at the Legislative Office Building to urge support for the protection of Connecticut’s children by eliminating the non-medical exemption for state mandated vaccines.
According to the state Department of Public Health, there are now 134 Connecticut schools where the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rate for kindergarten students falls below the federally recommended guideline of 95%. 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 religious exemptions to vaccination increased by 25% between the two school years. This represents the largest single year increase in religious exemptions for vaccination since the DPH started tracking the statewide data a decade ago.
“This is unacceptable and a growing problem, said Erin Jones, Regional Director of Government Affairs for March of Dimes and co-chair of the Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut. "We need to ensure that every school in Connecticut achieves the vaccination rate recommended by the CDC to keep diseases, like measles, from spreading and to protect our most vulnerable populations who, for medical reasons, cannot be vaccinated against these preventable diseases.” Jones added. “We applaud the leadership of Rep. Steinberg, Sen. Abrams, Sen. Anwar and others for protecting our children and supporting the science with the introduction of HB 5044, Jones concluded.
Together, parents, medical and public health experts and state lawmakers urged the Connecticut Senate and House to pass HB 5044 to eliminate non-medical exemptions to child vaccine requirements for school attendance.
Rep. Steinberg said: “There is nothing more important to parents than protecting their children. This legislation is intended to minimize the risk of highly contagious disease outbreaks that were once common. Preserving our established system of immunizations is essential.
Sen. Abrams said: “It’s time for us to take a stand for Connecticut residents and further support the CDC recommendations by ensuring our schools meet the standards on vaccines. We need to be one step ahead when it comes to protecting our children from preventable disease. California, Maine and New York have taken these critical steps by passing legislation to end non-medical exemptions. We must do the same here in Connecticut.”
“In the absence of vaccination, healthcare would cost $70 billion more every few years. 40,000 children would be at risk of dying from preventable diseases, and 20 million additional cases of infectious diseases would be diagnosed per year,” said Sen. Anwar. “Vaccinations have saved lives and have improved our average lifespan. Moving away from our traditional policies would harm our society irreversibly.”
"Immunization is a medical intervention which protects infants and young children, as well as adolescents and adults, from preventable disease. As a medical intervention, decisions regarding immunization should be made based on medical criteria for each individual,” said Jody Terranova, DO. “Parents who chose not to immunize their children for other than medical reasons have every right to make that decision. But they do not have a right to include that child in a school or group day care, where their lack of immunization has the potential to cause harm to other children. We cannot allow fear and misinformation to weaken our children’s safety net and once again have to care for children disabled by measles and polio, and other crippling childhood diseases. The children of Connecticut are depending on the legislature to help keep them safe by passing HB 5044 now, " she said.
“Communities are best protected from infectious diseases when vaccination coverage is high,” said Linda Niccolai, PhD and epidemiologist from Yale School of Public Health. “This is especially important in school-aged children to protect students who cannot to be immunized for medical reasons, and to protect younger siblings who may not be fully vaccinated yet because they are too young. Many schools in Connecticut now have a high enough proportion of unvaccinated students that infections can spread and place us all at risk. The time for action in Connecticut is now to ensure that children receive all safe and effective immunizations, unless they are precluded from doing so for medical reasons, so that not only are they protected but so are entire communities.”
“The members of the Ct Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses do much more than treat ill patients. They promote public health and well-being, which is why we are here in support of this legislation” said Juanita Castillo. “Health care providers, patients, families, and caretakers benefit from becoming immunized; and registered nurses have a responsibility in advocating for necessary vaccines throughout an individuals’ lifespan. Vaccinations protect the individual and the public from life-threatening, preventable diseases. Healthy individuals, as well as the most vulnerable, benefit from vaccinations. Complacency and a reduction in vaccination can cause diseases previously thought to be eliminated from the developed world to reemerge. As a nurse and now a cancer patient I believe this legislation is critical,” Castillo concluded.
“We are fortunate to have vaccines to preventable diseases like the measles and fifteen other deadly diseases in childhood,” said Amy Pisani from Vaccinate your Family. However, the school-by-school vaccination rates reflect a growing problem here in Connecticut as more families are claiming exemptions to vaccines for their children. Our children, including both healthy and medically compromised children, have the right to attend our schools without fear that those around them are leaving them at risk. This is about supporting good public health policy and protecting Connecticut residents.” Pisani concluded.
###
The Vaccination Alliance of Connecticut is a group of healthcare providers, public health experts, nurses, physicians, organizations and parents that support good vaccine policy in Connecticut through the elimination of the non-medical exemption.