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One week after the diagnosis of this year's second case of measles in Massachusetts, a lawmaker from the state of Haverhill introduced a bill that would remove the religious exemption for schoolchildren's vaccination.
State legislation requires that children entering school be vaccinated against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles and poliomyelitis. their "sincere religious beliefs".
A bill (HD 4284) filed Friday by representative Andy Vargas would silence the speech on religious beliefs, allowing only medical exemptions.
"As a Catholic, I fully respect the right of everyone to practice one's religious beliefs, but no one has the right to infect another person's child," Vargas said. in a statement. "We must keep in mind the common good, we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable members of our society."
In the midst of widespread measles outbreaks at the national and international levels, the Department of Public Health confirmed last month that a child from the Boston Metropolitan Area had been diagnosed with measles on May 24th. , combined with domestic and international travel.
Another person in the Boston Metropolitan Area was diagnosed with measles on March 31st.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 981 cases of measles were confirmed in 26 states this year until May 31. This is the largest number of cases reported in the United States since 1992 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000, according to the CDC. Last year, 372 cases of measles were reported nationwide.
On May 24, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed a law ending religious and philosophical exemptions to vaccination in her state.
California, West Virginia and Mississippi do not allow students to be exempted from vaccines for non-medical reasons, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Forty-six states, including Massachusetts, allow religious exemptions and 15 philosophical exemptions for personal or moral beliefs.
Last month, the House of Delegates of the Massachusetts Medical Society of the Massachusetts Medical Society passed a resolution urging the company to oppose exemptions for non-medical vaccines for entry to schools.
The CDC recommends that children receive their first measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age and adults to receive at least one dose of MMR vaccine. Children of school age need two doses.
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