The state of the antivaccine movement in the United States: A focused examination of nonmedical exemptions in states and counties

Jacqueline K Olive, Peter J Hotez, Ashish Damania, Melissa S Nolan, Jacqueline K Olive, Peter J Hotez, Ashish Damania, Melissa S Nolan

Abstract

In a Policy Forum, Peter Hotez and colleagues discuss vaccination exemptions in US states and possible consequences for infectious disease outbreaks.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1. Increasing nationwide trend in kindergarten…
Fig 1. Increasing nationwide trend in kindergarten NME rates from 2009 to 2017.
The asterisk (*) indicates states demonstrating an upward trend of kindergarteners with NMEs. NME, nonmedical exemption.
Fig 2. Heat map of county-level NME…
Fig 2. Heat map of county-level NME rates in 2016 to 2017.
NME, nonmedical exemption.
Fig 3. Heat map of counties with…
Fig 3. Heat map of counties with >400 kindergarteners with NMEs in 2016 to 2017.
NME, nonmedical exemption.
Fig 4. Negative relationship between state percentage…
Fig 4. Negative relationship between state percentage of kindergarten MMR vaccine uptake and NME rate in the 2016 to 2017 school year.
MMR, measles, mumps, and rubella; NME, nonmedical exemption.

References

    1. Hill HA, Elam-Evans LD, Yankey D, Singleton JA, Dietz V. Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19–35 Months—United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:1065–1071.
    1. National Conference of State Legislatures. States with Religious and Philosophical Exemptions from School Immunization Requirements. 2016. Available from: . Accessed 29 April 2017.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MMWR Weekly: Past Volume. 2016. Available from: . Accessed 13 Oct 2017.
    1. Salmon DA, Haber M, Gangarosa EJ, Phillips L, Smith NJ, Chen RT. Health consequences of religious and philosophical exemptions from immunization laws: individual and societal risk of measles. JAMA 1999;282(1):47–53. doi:
    1. Robison SG, Liko J. The Timing of Pertussis Cases in Unvaccinated Children in an Outbreak Year: Oregon 2012. J Pediatr 2017;183:159–63. doi:
    1. Olive JK, Matthews KRW. How too much freedom of choice endangers public health: the effect of nonmedical exemptions from school-entry vaccinations in Texas. Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy 2016; policy brief no. 10.13.16. Available from: . Accessed 29 April 2017.
    1. Omer SB, Porter RM, Allen K, Salmon DA, Bednarczyk RA. Trends in Kindergarten Rates of Vaccine Exemption and State-Level Policy, 2011–2016. Open Forum Infect Dis 2017;ofx244 doi:
    1. Hotez PJ. Texas and Its Measles Epidemics. PLoS Med. 2016;13(10):e1002153 doi:
    1. Majumder MS, Cohn EL, Mekaru SR, Huston JE, Brownstein JS. Substandard vaccination compliance and the 2015 measles outbreak. JAMA Pediatr 2015;169(5):494–5. doi:
    1. California Legislative Information. Senate Bill No. 277. 2015. Available from: . Accessed 29 April 2017.
    1. Kindergarten School Reporting Data. 2018. Available from: . Accessed 13 Oct 2017.
    1. Omer SB, Richards JL, Ward M, Bednarczyk RA. Vaccination policies and rates of exemption from immunization, 2005–2011. N Engl J Med 2012;367(12):1170–1. doi: Accessed 29 April 2017.
    1. Opel DJ, Heritage J, Taylor JA, Mangione-Smith R, Salas HS, DeVere V, et al. The Architecture of Provider–Parent Vaccine Discussions at Health Supervision Visits. Pediatrics 2013;132(6):1037–1046. doi:
    1. Opel DJ, Schwartz JL, Omer SB, Silverman R, Duchin J, Kodish E, et al. Achieving an Optimal Childhood Vaccine Policy. JAMA Pediatr 2017;171(9):893–6. doi:
    1. Forester K. France to make vaccination mandatory from 2018 as it is unacceptable children are still dying of measles. Independent UK. 2017. Available from: . Accessed 27 Jan 2018.
    1. Figueroa D. Italy: Vaccinations for Children Made Mandatory. Library of Congress. 2017. Available from: . Accessed 27 Jan 2018.
    1. Belluz J. The Global Crackdown on Parents Who Refuse Vaccines for Their Kids Has Begun. Vox. 2017. Available from: . Accessed 27 Jan 2018.
    1. Ilie L. Romania to Pass Vaccination Law to Deal with Immunization Gaps. Reuters. 2017. Available from: . Accessed 27 Jan 2018.
    1. Hotez PJ. Will an American-Led Anti-Vaccine Movement Subvert Global Health? Sci Am, 2017. Available from: . Accessed 27 Jan 2018.

Source: PubMed

3
Abonnieren