The Colorado health department’s recommendation to increase the number of times parents would have to fill out non-medical exemption forms for childhood vaccines is a small step toward a more sensible policy.
Now, schools collect exemption forms only once and the information follows students throughout their school careers.
The recommendation — to be decided in April by the Colorado Board of Health — would require exemptions for personal beliefs or religious reasons to be declared every year. This would give schools more up-to-date information about who should not come to school in case of an outbreak.
It also will be a yearly reminder to parents who haven’t fully vaccinated their children or haven’t collected the necessary documentation to prove they have.
And it could potentially provide parents who are opting out an opportunity to learn more about why it is essential for children to be vaccinated.
in the nation for childhood immunizations, with nearly 28 percent of children under-immunized at 36 months of age.
More than 530 children were hospitalized with vaccine-preventable diseases in 2013, resulting in more than $29 million in hospital charges.
out a portion of a bill that would have required parents complete an online-education course that discloses the benefits and risks of immunization if they choose to opt out for personal reasons.
And legislators have not wanted to toughen up the rules around opting out, which is too bad.
A recent found 60 percent of Colorado voters believe children who don’t receive standard vaccinations should not be allowed to attend public schools or child-care facilities.
Colorado policymakers should take note and strengthen the state’s lax rules around vaccinations before we find ourselves in an entirely avoidable health crisis.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit or check out our for how to submit by e-mail or mail.
