As of June 13, 2019, New York State law will no longer allow non-medical exemptions from school vaccines for children. This includes school-age children and children attending daycare who have not received vaccinations based on religious beliefs. Public, private, and parochial schools in New York are all required to comply with this new law. Children who have vaccination exemptions for medical reasons will still not be required to receive vaccines.

Children must receive their first age-appropriate dose in each immunization series by June 28, 2019 in order to attend or remain in school or daycare. Parents and guardians must also have all follow-up doses scheduled for their child by July 14, 2019.

This legislation comes at a time when the US is experiencing the worst measles outbreak in over 25 years, with many cases being right here in New York. Previously, parents and guardians were able to deny vaccinations for their children based on religious beliefs. This has resulted in our state having extremely low vaccination rates.

When people choose to be unvaccinated, it puts our community at risk – newborns who are unable to receive vaccines until a certain age, people who are allergic to a component in a vaccine, and those with medical conditions that cause them to have a weakened immune system all have a higher possibility of exposure. The more children that are vaccinated and protected, the less likely it is that an outbreak would occur. That is why this new law has been met with overwhelming support from our pediatricians here at Community Care.

"Vaccines may be the single most important intervention we perform as healthcare providers. Vaccines are scientifically proven, through many well-designed studies, to be safe and effective at decreasing disease occurrence."