Key groups within the
American Medical Association’s governing
body want the nation’s largest doctor group to help bring an end to
“personal belief” and religious exemptions that doctors say undermine
“population immunity” and put public health at risk.
The AMA, meeting through Wednesday in Chicago for its annual
policy-making House of Delegates meeting, could add an influential voice
to the growing chorus of public health advocates and state legislatures
getting rid of opt-outs for vaccinations for school entry when students
start kindergarten.
The measure comes in the wake of a highly publicized outbreak of
measles at Disneyland last December that sickened more than 130
Californians. Though
California lawmakers are pushing for an end to opt-outs from vaccinations, the state remains among 19 that have so-called “personal belief” exemptions, an AMA report said.
“Our AMA (should) provide materials on vaccine efficacy to states,
and encourage them to eliminate philosophical and religious exemptions
from state immunization requirements,” a resolution introduced today by
the
American Association of Public Health Physicians said.
There are several resolutions before the AMA in regard to exemptions
from immunization. Should the AMA’s House of Delegates adopt new policy
on vaccinations, it would become part of the lobbying agenda for the
nation’s largest doctor group in states across the country as well as
Washington on federal policy.
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 26: A children’s
doctor injects a vaccine against measles, rubella, mumps and chicken pox
to an infant on February 26, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. The city of
Berlin is facing an outbreak of measles that in recent weeks has led to
over 700 cases and one confirmed death of a little boy who had not been
vaccinated. Vaccination in Germany is not compulsory by law though the
vast majority of parents have their children vaccinated. (Photo by Sean
Gallup/Getty Images)
“Nationwide, about 1.7% of kindergarten-age children have religious
or philosophical exemptions to mandatory immunization,” a joint report
from the AMA councils on science and public health and ethical and
judicial affairs said. “Forty-eight states allow religious exemption.
Nineteen states also allow ‘personal belief’ exemption.”
AMA members in favor of ending exemptions say people who decide not
to get immunized put others at risk as well as themselves and healthcare
workers. In parts of
Los Angeles County ,
rates for children who don’t get vaccinated for measles and other
diseases are at 20% or higher, a doctor from southern California
testified at an AMA panel.
The AMA meeting runs through Wednesday in Chicago. A vote on
immunization policy, which is one of dozens of votes that will be taken,
could come as early as Monday.