Missoula County opposes SB 99, Revise laws related to informing on legal opt out options for vaccines, on the Senate floor this afternoon. This bill which would burden schools with informing parents/guardians of medical and religious exemption options on every piece of communication that mentions required school vaccines, when medical and religious exemption information and forms are already easily accessible on the DPHHS website. This could result in increased vaccine hesitancy, decreased herd immunity and increased costs. By advertising exemptions, schools would unintentionally promote vaccine hesitancy, resulting in fewer immunized children. This would lead to decreased herd immunity that would put the most vulnerable at risk of serious complications, hospitalization or death. This includes those too young to be vaccinated, those with medical conditions that prevent them from being vaccinated, and those who have valid religious reasons for not being vaccinated. Outbreaks are more likely to occur at schools with high exemption rates, and unvaccinated children would be required to stay home during an outbreak. They would get behind in their studies, and parents would miss work to stay home with their unprotected child. Staff would also miss work, lose income and accrue medical bills, and the school would have an increased burden to maintain adequate staffing. Finally, the cost of a public health agency outbreak investigation can cost the state millions of dollars and lead to a public health emergency, as Washington and other states are currently experiencing.
Sent morning of Feb. 1:
ReplyDeleteSenators,
Missoula County opposes SB 99, Revise laws related to informing on legal opt out options for vaccines, on the Senate floor this afternoon. This bill which would burden schools with informing parents/guardians of medical and religious exemption options on every piece of communication that mentions required school vaccines, when medical and religious exemption information and forms are already easily accessible on the DPHHS website. This could result in increased vaccine hesitancy, decreased herd immunity and increased costs. By advertising exemptions, schools would unintentionally promote vaccine hesitancy, resulting in fewer immunized children. This would lead to decreased herd immunity that would put the most vulnerable at risk of serious complications, hospitalization or death. This includes those too young to be vaccinated, those with medical conditions that prevent them from being vaccinated, and those who have valid religious reasons for not being vaccinated. Outbreaks are more likely to occur at schools with high exemption rates, and unvaccinated children would be required to stay home during an outbreak. They would get behind in their studies, and parents would miss work to stay home with their unprotected child. Staff would also miss work, lose income and accrue medical bills, and the school would have an increased burden to maintain adequate staffing. Finally, the cost of a public health agency outbreak investigation can cost the state millions of dollars and lead to a public health emergency, as Washington and other states are currently experiencing.
Please oppose SB 99.