Goldstein Neal D, Suder Joanna S
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health.
Civil Division, Delaware Department of Justice.
Dela J Public Health. 2022 Mar 29;8(1):84-88. doi: 10.32481/djph.2022.03.014. eCollection 2022 Mar.
The increase in childhood vaccine hesitancy and corresponding use of nonmedical exemptions to abstain from vaccination has deleteriously impacted the public's health. This has many in the field calling for widespread elimination of nonmedical school-entry exemptions, as has been done in six states to date: West Virginia, Mississippi, California, New York, Maine, and Connecticut. By eliminating nonmedical exemptions, vaccination rates can be improved, with the corresponding decline in vaccine-preventable disease incidence. Yet the path towards widespread adoption of these policies presents legislative and judicial implications which evolve with the changing political landscape. In this this article, we discuss legislative actions concerning the expansion of exemptions, whether the widespread elimination of nonmedical exemptions would be effective from a practical and legal end, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced such legislation, with specific focus on Delaware.
儿童疫苗犹豫现象的增加以及相应地使用非医学豁免来避免接种疫苗，已对公众健康产生了有害影响。这使得该领域的许多人呼吁广泛取消非医学的入学豁免，迄今为止已有六个州这样做了：西弗吉尼亚州、密西西比州、加利福尼亚州、纽约州、缅因州和康涅狄格州。通过取消非医学豁免，可以提高疫苗接种率，同时疫苗可预防疾病的发病率也会相应下降。然而，广泛采用这些政策的道路存在立法和司法方面的影响，这些影响会随着不断变化的政治格局而演变。在本文中，我们讨论了有关扩大豁免范围的立法行动，广泛取消非医学豁免从实际和法律角度是否有效，以及新冠疫情如何影响了此类立法，特别关注特拉华州。
