Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Parents Would Need Doctor's Note to Skip Vaccinations Under Proposed Law

 State Sen. Michael Gianaris' bill would require parents who want to exempt their kids from legally-mandated vaccines provide a statement from their physician, stating that they discussed the risks of their decision with a doctor first.
State Sen. Michael Gianaris' bill would require parents who want to exempt their kids from legally-mandated vaccines provide a statement from their physician, stating that they discussed the risks of their decision with a doctor first.
View Full Caption
Scott Barbour/Getty Images

QUEENS — A state lawmaker is proposing a bill that aims to educate parents about vaccines, to curb what he described as a "disturbingly growing number" that are choosing not to immunize their children.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris said Monday that his bill would require parents who want to exempt their kids from legally-mandated vaccines provide a statement from their physician, stating that they discussed the risks of their decision with a doctor first.

"The science clearly indicates that vaccinations are the safest and most effective way to prevent the spread of serious illness in our children," Gianaris, who represents western Queens, said in a statement.

"At a time when measles and pertussis outbreaks are at their worst levels in decades and a disturbingly growing number of parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children, it is critical that we educate people about the health benefits of vaccinations," he said.

State law requires that public school children be be immunized against a number of diseases, including polio, measles and mumps.

Parents can apply for an exemption to the requirement on religious grounds, or for medical reasons if a vaccination would be harmful to a child's health.

The legislation would require a doctor's note from all seeking exemptions.

Gianaris' bill comes as measles cases across the country are on the rise. An outbreak of the highly-contagious illness infected more than a dozen people in Northern Manhattan and The Bronx last year. Another outbreak in 2013 saw more than 55 people in Brooklyn come down with the virus.

About 97 percent of public school kindergartners in The Bronx and Staten Island were vaccinated for measles in the 2012-13 school year, while 96 percent of public kindergarten students in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens were, DNAinfo New York reported earlier this year.