Open AccessPublic Health and the Politics of School Immunization Requirements
Author(s) -
Daniel A. Salmon,
Jason W. Sapsin,
Stephen P. Teret,
Richard F. Jacobs,
James M. Thompson,
Kevin Ryan,
Neal A. Halsey
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2004.046193
Subject(s) - politics , immunization , public health , suspect , vaccination , welfare , political science , medicine , law , public administration , public relations , nursing , virology , antigen , immunology
Compulsory vaccination has contributed to the enormous success of US immunization programs. Movements to introduce broad "philosophical/personal beliefs" exemptions administered without adequate public health oversight threaten this success. Health professionals and child welfare advocates must address these developments in order to maintain the effectiveness of the nation's mandatory school vaccination programs. We review recent events regarding mandatory immunization in Arkansas and discuss a proposed nonmedical exemption designed to allow constitutionally permissible, reasonable, health-oriented administrative control over exemptions. The proposal may be useful in political environments that preclude the use of only medical exemptions. Our observations may assist states whose current nonmedical exemption provisions are constitutionally suspect as well as states lacking legally appropriate administrative controls on existing, broad non-medical exemptions.