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Oregon has the highest rate of legally exempted children from school vaccination in the country. (Image of the KATU file.)
SALEM, Oregon (AP) – A measles outbreak in southwestern Washington has made Oregon legislators even more pressing, as they plan to tighten immunization obligations in schools, seen as among the most relaxed in the country.
More than 65 people, including many unvaccinated children, have been diagnosed with measles in Clark County, Washington State.
"This is no longer a theoretical discussion – it's a very practical discussion," said Rep. Mitch Greenlick, the Portland Democrat at the origin of a proposal making it more difficult for families to avoid regulation of vaccines. "We are talking about a real example of what happens if no one vaccinates their children."
Under the law, children would have to be vaccinated in order to go to school unless they have a doctor's note requesting a medical waiver. Parents could no longer claim immunization exemptions for religious, personal or philosophical reasons. Washington state lawmakers are considering a similar measure this year.
Only three states – California, Mississippi and West Virginia – prohibit almost all exemptions.
Greenlick's proposal was met with considerable opposition at a hearing held on Thursday, attracting hundreds of parents to the Capitol for their opposition to the which they consider to be discriminatory and which is the responsibility of the Government.
"The authority of the government is falling on my skin," said Breeauna Sagdal, a parent and lawyer, outside the crowded courtroom. "It's my body, it's my family and it's my choice, and they can adopt the law of their choice, I'm not."
Washington and Oregon are among the 10 states to have confirmed measles cases in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A person infected with measles may have exposed others to the disease during his visit to the Portland International Airport and to Salem, Oregon, at the end of the month of February.
While most states allow religious exemptions to vaccines, 17 states, including Oregon, also allow parents to refuse immunizations required for personal or philosophical reasons.
About 7.5% of kindergarten children in Oregon were unvaccinated in 2018, the highest rate in the history of the state. According to Paul Cieslak, of the Oregon Health Authority, almost all of these children used a non-medical exemption.
Cieslak added that while 96% of all school children in Oregon are vaccinated against measles, there are individual schools all over the state with much lower vaccination rates. If the disease were to affect these areas, he said, it "will spread quickly as in Clark County."
But parents, often in emotional testimonies, said that the government should not force children to be vaccinated in order to receive an education. Some came to Oregon to escape California's stringent vaccine requirements, which introduced similar legislation in 2016.
They offered reasons not to vaccinate, including religion, individual freedoms and fears about the ingredients and side effects of vaccines.
Doctors and health professionals said vaccines were safe and effective and that serious side effects of vaccines were rare.
"The measles outbreak should be an incredible warning for all of us – an imperative to be considered," said Kristina Haley, associate professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University. "Vaccines save lives."
Mother Jessica Fichtel offered parents a personal reason to vaccinate their children. His 5-year-old son, Kai, has leukemia and is considered immunocompromised, which means he can not be vaccinated. She fears that her weakened immune system does make her particularly susceptible to catching a preventable disease through vaccination in an increasing number of unvaccinated children.
"This epidemic was preventable," she said. "Those who refuse to vaccinate their children expose vulnerable members of our population, such as my son, to a high risk of exposure."
According to the Mayo Clinic, it is possible to be infected with measles even after receiving the vaccine, although this is rare.
Sagdal and several other parents opposed to compulsory vaccination said that they were ready to leave Oregon if the state accepted the bill.
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