Arizona vaccination program canceled after parental reaction

The pilot-based online course, inspired by the Oregon and Michigan programs, was created in response to the growing number of Arizona schoolchildren who fail to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and pertussis because of their beliefs. of their parents.

But some parents, who feared that the optional course would become mandatory, complained to the Governor's Regulatory Review Board, which examines the regulations to make sure they are necessary and not harmful to the public. The six-member board is appointed by Governor Doug Ducey, with a general advocate by right.

E-mails show that board members interviewed the state health department about the course after receiving public feedback on it. The state responded by canceling it.

Complaints that ended the pilot program were received by about 120 individuals and families, including 20 parents who said they did not vaccinate their children, according to the records.

"We're really sorry we did not succeed – strong forces against us," wrote Brenda Jones, head of immunization services for the Arizona Department of Health Services, in an email sent on Aug. 6 to a responsible for the Glendale School. with a notification of the cancellation of the course.

In an email addressed to two staff members of the Department of Health on August 14, Jones wrote that there had been a lot of political and anti-vaxx reactions.

"I'm not sure why supplying information is considered a negative thing," said Republican State Representative Heather Carter, who spent the last three legislative sessions as the new president. House Health Committee and contributed to the creation of the pilot program.

"Providing information does not prevent parents from asking for an exemption … … it's a major concern.Vaccines have saved lives for generations.We all want to live in safe and healthy communities. health."

More: More and more children are not getting vaccinations from their doctors, says the CDC

Loss of collective immunity

Carter organized meetings attended by doctors, nurses, school administrators, school nurses, naturopaths, and public health officials, which culminated in the creation of the education program on vaccines based on 60 to 90 minute evidence.

It was launched in 17 schools last year.

The education program was to extend to other schools this school year.

State health officials said they returned to the table of contents regarding the regulatory obligation to provide vaccine education to Arizona parents seeking a vaccine exemption.

The key message they want parents to understand is that children's vaccines are much safer than the diseases they prevent.

A measles vaccine in vial at the Maricopa County Public Health Immunization Clinic in Phoenix on Thursday, January 22, 2015. (Photo: David Wallace / The Republic)

When too many children do not get vaccinated, schools and communities lose what is called "herd immunity". Without collective immunity, the disease spreads more easily. Babies who are too young to be immunized, and adults and children with compromised immune systems – those with chronic diseases or chemotherapy for cancer, for example – are the most vulnerable to the loss of collective herd protection.

According to Rebecca Sunenshine, Medical Director of the Public Health Department of the Maricopa County Public Health Department, kindergarten children throughout Maricopa County now have complete immunity against measles.

Maricopa County reflects national trends that show that people who choose not to vaccinate their children tend to have higher and whiter incomes, she said.

"We are seeing an increase in the number of vaccine exemptions, which is worrisome, as it exposes us to an increased risk of spreading the disease, especially of epidemics that could have been prevented," said Jessica Rigler. , responsible for preparing for public health in the Arizona Department of Arizona. Health services.

"It's hard to actively offer an education and that's something we're really trying to launch."

Comments from parents

Most of the parents and people who contacted the Governor's Regulatory Review Board about the Vaccine Education Program felt that they would be forced to follow the course in order to obtain a vaccine waiver form regarding their personal beliefs. Many admitted not having seen the course, but opposed it in principle.

Most e-mails did not specify where the parents lived or where their children go to school.

Although the state has never proposed that the course be mandatory, the wording on the state health department's website has left that impression.

The comments were discussed at a council study session on July 31. Six days later, the state health department halted the course.

"Based on these comments, we felt that it was best to step back and really reevaluate the course design and determine whether or not we should do more assessment," said Rigler. .

More than 200 e-mail pages containing public comments on the Vaccine Education Program were obtained by The Republic of Arizona. Nearly all have criticized the additional steps associated with obtaining exemptions from vaccine requirements.

"From my experience, parents who have a personal belief against vaccines have already done countless hours of extensive research on the benefits and risks of vaccines," wrote a parent on July 26. "A one-sided video is not going to change, and as a result, it's also a waste of government resources."

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The class seems to be an attempt to "create an emotional response, creating fear and pressure to force parents to vaccinate," a group of parents wrote on July 25. "Do legislators think we are stupid?"

Several parents sent the same letter in which they were forced to watch a video in order to exercise a derogation for personal beliefs such as "inappropriate interference with parental rights as currently defined by law".

One parent had the opposite worry: she wrote that she had seen an article about it on Facebook, which is why she contacted GRRC. She vaccinated her children and worried that too many Arizonans succumbed to anti-vaccine terror and put the schoolchildren in danger.

The program aimed to prevent serious and vaccine-preventable outbreaks, Sunenshine said.

"All we wanted to do with the pilot was to say," We're not going to complicate things, we just want to make sure you have accurate information when you make that decision, "Sunenshine said.

"Many people no longer see these vaccine-preventable diseases, they feel that they are not a big problem because they have not seen them.They do not realize that we lost before the measles vaccine of the 1960s about 500 children a year (in the United States) who die from measles. "

The county health department has heard of families with medically vulnerable children in the event of loss of herd immunity, officials said. In some cases, families are afraid to send these children to school, said Sunenshine.

Almost all the schools that participated in the pilot education program wanted to participate again, and other schools wanted to try it, said Sunenshine, adding that schools answered many questions from parents that the online course dealt in a uniform and scientific way.

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