Portland, Ore. – Fewer Oregon parents or guardians sought nonmedical exemptions to the state’s school immunization requirements over the last year, according to new data published by the Oregon Public Health Division.
The division’s Oregon Immunization Program found that 5.8 percent of all kindergarteners – 2,693 students – claimed religious, philosophical or other nonmedical exemption to one or more required vaccines. That’s down from 7 percent, or 3,331 students, in 2014, and represents a 17 percent decline.
State law requires that all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified child care facilities have up-to-date documentation on their immunizations, or have an exemption.
Public health officials believe the drop in the exemption rate is due to passage of Senate Bill 132A, which was signed into law on June 26, 2013, and went into effect on March 1, 2014.
Under the new law, Parents or guardians choosing a nonmedical exemption are now required to submit to the school or childcare a document showing either a signature from a health care practitioner verifying discussion of the benefits and risks of immunization. They can also submit a certificate of completion of an interactive online educational video about the benefits and risks of immunization.
Similar laws in surrounding states have led to swift and significant drops in nonmedical exemption claims: In California, the rate fell 19 percent, while Washington saw a 25 percent decline.
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