According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccinations are one of the ten great public health achievements of the twentieth century. Vaccines have reduced or eliminated many diseases that once killed or seriously harmed infants, children, and adults.
Vaccines provide protection not only to the individual receiving the immunization but also to others in the community who are unable to be fully immunized due to age or medical reasons. When immunization rates decrease, the risk of outbreak of preventable illness increases. When an outbreak of a preventable illness occurs there is a very real cost to the community including severe illness or death of the affected individuals, loss of productivity when children and parents must miss work or school, and the cost of medical care, hospitalization, and treatment for exposed individuals to help prevent the spread of the disease.
On January 18, at 1:30 in room 784 in the Docking State Office Building, the House Health and Human Services committee of the Kansas Legislature is holding a hearing on HB 2094 regarding expansion of philosophical exemptions to immunizations for children receiving care at licensed child care facilities or attending public school. Under the proposal, a child would not have to receive the required vaccinations if the child care facility or school has on record written statement signed by a parent or guardian of the child that the parent or guardian of the child declines immunization for reasons of conscience or personal beliefs.
The current statute provides exemptions to required vaccinations based upon the child’s health or family’s religious convictions. We believe the current statutory exemptions are sufficient, and furthermore, that efforts to increase the allowable exemptions leading to decreased vaccination rates pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of Kansans.
The Kansas Association of Local Health Departments (KALHD) will provide testimony in opposition to this bill. We urge you to join with us and provide testimony, either in-person or in writing, to share your concerns and information about the very real risks posed by this proposal with your local legislators as well as members of the committee, as we work together to protect the public health.
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