MANSFIELD, Ohio — According to Ohio Representative Mark Romanchuk (Rep.), Ohio does not feel pressure to pass a school vaccination law similar to the one passed two weeks ago in Sacramento, California.
On Tuesday, June 30,California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that mandates parents to have their children vaccinated — regardless of personal beliefs.
Medical exemptions will still be available for California children with serious health issues. Parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, must instead homeschool, according to the law, which becomes effective for the 2016-17 school year. West Virginia and Mississippi are the only other states with vaccination law that strict.
“What’s best for California might not be the best for Ohio. It’s a different population out there, they have different circumstances than in the midwest,” said Romanchuk.
However, Romanchuk said he would support a law that mandated vaccinations — but only if the law provided opt outs that included religious, philosophical and medical reasons.
“I wouldn’t have a problem with that. But they should have the option to opt out for religious or medical reasons,” said Romanchuk.
From March to August 2014, Richland Public Health (RPH) was part of a Northeast Ohio-wide command after a measles outbreak that was reported to have a greater impact than the one in California that spurred legislators to enact the controversial vaccination law.
The unified command that included Ashland, Coshocton, Holmes, Knox, Richland and Wayne counties ended on July 31, 2014. A press released issued by RPH stated that “the unified command structure allowed for increased situational awareness, better coordination of resources, and a more organized response to the largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in 20 years.”
According to RPH Clinic Nursing Supervisor Loretta Cornell, RPH’s up-to-date immunization rate for two-year-olds is 58 percent. She said the nation’s goal is 90 percent.
In order to be up-to-date with immunizations, the two-year-olds must receive 19 scheduled vaccines that include shots for preventing tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, chicken pox, polio and hepatitis, according to Cornell.
“Parents (in Richland County) are generally good at getting their child vaccinated when they’re first born, but then coming back in for those scheduled doses are not good,” said Cornell.
Comparatively, immunizations for the above mentioned diseases have decreased since 2011, according to Ohio Department of Health (ODH) data.
“If I could advocate for legislation on a medical-exemption only state in order to get everybody vaccinated, I would. Absolutely. That would be wonderful,” said Cornell.
RPH Health Educator Reed Richmond said the department agrees with the scientific research about the efficacy of vaccines and support the vaccinations standards endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The risk of possible side effects is far less than the probable consequences of not getting vaccinated for preventable diseases,” said Richmond.
Richmond then cited RPH’s vaccine protocol statement, which reads: “We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities. We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental diseases.”
