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by RACHEL LA CORTE, Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Washington (AP) – A Senate committee in Washington State on Friday proposed a measure that would eliminate the possibility for parents to seek a personal or philosophical exemption for their children's school vaccinations.
The Senate Committee on Health and Long-Term Care adopted this measure in a 7- to 4-party line vote one day after health officials discovered a new case of measles in the state.
A committee of the House approved a week ago a more limited bill that would remove only the philosophical exemption for the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Both bills could be voted on in their respective chambers over the next few weeks.
"Some of us do not know if the current system with the current exemptions has resulted in a significant and negative change in diseases that can be prevented through vaccines," said Republican Sen. O 'Ban before voting "no". . "
Democratic Senator Annette Cleveland, chair of the committee, was not in agreement.
"The proof is that we have no more eradication of these diseases," she said.
The legislation comes amid an epidemic that has sickened 65 people in the state of Washington, including one in Clark County, just north of Portland, Oregon. The Clark County Public Health Service has identified a new case on Thursday and is currently investigating two suspected cases. The Portland metropolitan area has seen four outbreak-related cases in southwestern Washington.
Washington currently allows immunization exemptions for children in public or private schools or licensed daycares on the basis of medical, religious, personal or philosophical beliefs. Unless otherwise requested, a child must be vaccinated against almost a dozen diseases – including poliomyelitis, whooping cough and mumps – and present evidence of acquired immunity before attending school or attending a day care center.
Four percent of high school students in Washington benefit from an exemption from non-medical vaccines, the state health department said. Of these, 3.7% of the exemptions are personal and the others are religious.
In Clark County, 6.7% of kindergarten children benefit from a non-medical exemption for the 2017-2018 school year, health officials said.
Washington is one of 17 states, including Oregon, that allow a non-medical vaccine exemption for "personal, moral, or other beliefs," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
California removed personal belief vaccine exemptions for public and private schoolchildren in 2015 after the Disneyland measles outbreak that sickened 147 people and spread to the United States and Canada . Vermont also dropped its personal exemption in 2015.
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