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Mandatory immunization for child care children sought

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News

Published: November 25, 2014

Ohio is the only state that has not adopted immunization requirements for children in licensed child care settings.

The Ohio State Medical Association has backed a bill that would change that.

“Immunization programs are only successful when vaccination rates are high,” said Tim Maglione, OSMA senior director of government relations.

“Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination schedule recommends numerous immunizations for infants and young children, some babies and toddlers do not receive these recommended vaccines. An immunization requirement for children enrolled in licensed child care facilities gives our state another chance to reach kids who have not yet been vaccinated against preventable diseases, thereby improving our state’s immunization rates.”

House Bill 536, a bipartisan measure jointly sponsored by Reps. Ryan Smith and Nickie Antonio, would require that children enrolled in licensed child care facilities be vaccinated against diseases in accordance with a state-developed immunization schedule that will be identical to the recommendations of the CDC advisory committee on immunization practices.

The proposal offers exceptions based on health concerns and religious convictions.

Under current law, Maglione said the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services has rules regarding procedures for screening children who enter child care facilities.

“The agency requires child care facilities to keep a medical record, including immunizations, on file for each child, but these rules do not explicitly require children to be vaccinated,” he said. “The OSMA is supportive of efforts to universally immunize infants and pre-school children, and we believe that HB 536 takes significant steps toward that goal.”

The bill, which is before the House Health and Aging Committee, has also been endorsed by March of Dimes, the Ohio chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Columbus Public Health.

“At Columbus Public Health, our No. 1 priority is the health and safety of our youngest residents,” said Dr. Teresa Long on behalf of the department. “One of the best ways we can protect their health and improve their lives is through childhood immunizations.”

In stumping for HB 536, Long noted that CPH, Franklin County Public Health and officials from Delaware and Madison counties managed the largest community-wide outbreak of mumps in recent history earlier in the year.

“The significant measles outbreak in central Ohio counties is another example of how quickly outbreaks can strike and cause significant complications in vulnerable young residents,” she said.

In addition to life-threatening complications and illness to individual patients, Long said such situations have an economic impact on the community with regard to diverted resources and time and money spent to address an outbreak.

“Thousands of Ohio children attend day care or preschool almost every week day, and even though many child care settings require vaccinations for enrollment, as you know, Ohio currently has no law to back up this important requirement,” she said.

“Ohio is the only state that does not have a law requiring vaccinations for children attending state-licensed child care facilities.”

Long said most states enacted legislation similar to HB 536 in the early 1980s.

“It is a protection that many parents expect from a state-licensed child care facility, that their child will have the benefit of group immunity,” she said.

Long said the recommended immunization schedule for individuals up to age 18 includes 14 different immunizations for vaccine-preventable illness. Of the immunizations, 11 are recommended before a child is school-aged.

“We already have this protection put in place for primary and secondary school children, but it is especially important that state-licensed day care facilities have the same standard in place at the time in children’s lives when it is most important to help ensure children are getting the proper immunizations to stay on schedule,” she said.

Long went on to say that CPH officials believe the bill is “good public policy and know it is good for public health.”

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to point out that child care workers are also a very important part of this picture, and that by requiring that they also be immunized according to CDC recommendations would help protect small business owners, but also help reduce the spread of immunization-preventable diseases among children and adults that spend their days at child care facilities,” she said.

HB 536 is co-sponsored by Reps. Tom Letson, Connie Pillich, Gerald Stebelton, Teresa Fedor and Tim Brown.

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