Pressroom

Source: CBS Sacramento

02/23/2014

A new state law in Oregon will require parents of children entering kindergarten to consult their family healthcare provider to qualify for a waiver of any of the vaccines required for schoolchildren. The law offers an online alternative of watching a one-hour video that gives scientific evidence on the risks and benefits of immunization. The new law takes effect March 1 and is similar to those in Washington State and California. More children entering kindergarten in Oregon have non-medical waivers for one or more vaccinations than anywhere else in the United States, but health officials hope that the new requirement will change that. After Washington State’s law took effect in 2011, the rate of waivers for kids entering kindergarten fell 27 percent. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 6.4 percent of kids entering kindergarten in Oregon for the 2012-2013 school year had a religious or philosophical exemption, up from 5.9 percent for 2011-2012. Nationally, that rate is 1.8 percent.