Kentucky family sues local health ministry following school ban on unvaccinated children

A Kentucky teenager and his family continue their local health service for trying to protect the public from the chicken pox virus.

The lawsuit alleges that health officials violated the boy's first amendment rights, Jerome Kunkel, by banning him and other unvaccinated students from going to school or to school. Extracurricular activities at Assumption Academy, the private Catholic school where a highly contagious outbreak of chickenpox has already infected more than more than 30 students. The family's complaint is based on the badertion that health officials discriminate against their Catholic convictions, even though the Catholic Church itself had no qualms about being vaccinated.

According to the North Kentucky Department of Health, the outbreak of chicken pox began around the month of February. To stop the spread of viral infection, the health department ordered to prevent unvaccinated children from attending extracurricular activities. Kunkel, an 18-year-old high school boy who has not contracted chicken pox, was forced to miss the match of his basketball team (the team eventually lost). Last Thursday, as the epidemic reached 32 students, the health department banned unvaccinated students from going to school. The ban should last up to 21 days after the latest rash symptoms reported in a student or an infected faculty member.

On the same day, the family filed a lawsuit with the Boone County Circuit Court and later amended it on Thursday. According to the Washington Post, the health ministry official reportedly not only violated the rights of Jerome Kunkel's First Amendment, but also circumvented the regular procedures and called the Kunkel family into private meetings because of their religious beliefs. .

Health departments in other states have consistently enforced similar bans in recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. In New York this winter, for example, health officials have banned unvaccinated people from going to school and have even ended a marriage because of a measles outbreak. . Parents in Rockland County, where the epidemic is concentrated, have also sued for lifting school bans, but their claim was rejected by a court last week. Legal issues aside, the religious aspect of Kunkel's claims is questionable.

The cell lines used as a base for the chickenpox vaccine decades ago were indeed derived from two aborted fetuses. And the Catholic Church has long opposed abortion, including the use of aborted fetal cells in stem cell research. But the Church has also given members the moral blessing of using the chickenpox vaccine and other vaccines derived from fetal cells.

"The reason is that the risk to public health, if one chooses not to vaccinate, outweighs the legitimate concerns about the origins of the vaccine," said the National Catholic Bioethics Center in a FAQ on vaccines. "This is especially important for parents, who have a moral obligation to protect the lives and health of their children and those around them."

Billy Kunkel, Jerome's father, told the Washington Post that he did not care at all about the Church's position, saying his opposition to abortion was a moral absolute.

Last week, the Northern Kentucky Department of Health denied public allegations from the Kunkel family and other social media that the health department has discriminated and discriminated against them. their religious convictions. He also published letters sent to parents at the Assumption Academy in February and March, who warned him of the dangers of chicken pox, explained the medical reasons for the bans and included them. not a single reference to religion.

"Unfortunately, some people, including the lawyer who brought the lawsuit, have turned to social media to spread misinformation as part of their litigation strategy," announced the health department in a statement released last week. "It is unfortunate that social media is being used as a weapon for misinformation to advance litigation agendas and undermine our mission to protect public health."

Although chicken pox usually causes a mild, even highly contagious rash and fever that lasts about a week, it can rarely cause more serious problems such as pneumonia, encephalitis, and even fatal sepsis. These more serious complications are more likely in very young and immunocompromised patients. Survival of chickenpox naturally also greatly increases the risk of developing shingles in adulthood, as reactivation of the chickenpox virus can cause excruciating pain, sometimes throughout life.