Medical vaccine exemptions for children not always justified

Medical vaccine exemptions for children not always justified Medical vaccine exemptions for children not always justified

More than 87,000 were granted nationwide to kindergartners over a seven-year period. Exemptions were more common in states with loose opt-out requirements.

By Christine S. Moyer, amednews staff. Posted Sept. 10, 2012.

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Click to see data in PDF.

Some children are receiving medical exemptions from kindergarten-entry immunization requirements for inappropriate reasons, according to a new study. That could make youths who are too young or too sick to be immunized more susceptible to potentially fatal vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles and pertussis.

“The appropriate use of medical exemptions is important to maintaining sufficient herd immunity,” said Saad B. Omer, PhD,