Measles Outbreak Prompts Media Look at School Compliance with Immunization Laws

Several states are experiencing large outbreaks of the measles virus, in areas that are considered unvaccinated “hotspots.” The measles was considered eliminated in the US a decade ago but have since seen a rise in outbreaks over the last few years from a national increase in state exemptions for meeting vaccine requirements, according to the Washington Post.

In Wisconsin, the State Journal and the Racine Journal Times released stories citing lower vaccination rates in some of the state’s private schools due to personal exemption waivers. Wisconsin allows exemptions from vaccinations for health, religious, or personal conviction reasons.

When contacted about the private schools high rate of non-compliance, WCRIS Executive Director Sharon Schmeling set the record straight noting that, despite many of the named private schools having a religious association, there’s “nothing in the major denominations … that are against vaccination,” which is usually seen as a “gift from God.”

The recent string of outbreaks is a good reminder to WCRIS principals about their legal obligations to help parents meet certain immunization requirements. All children enrolled at a school in Wisconsin must submit a written immunization record showing they have received all proper vaccines per grade level, or if they have a request for a waiver or current exemption. This must be done within 30 days of being admitted to the school. WCRIS principals are responsible for collecting this information and reporting parent/student non-compliance to the District Attorney. WCRIS Principals should view page 43 of the 2018-19 WCRIS Legal Handbook for more information on their responsibilities. The Handbook can also be viewed online here.

There are several resources available to educate parents on the importance of vaccinations, especially if you have a large population of unvaccinated students or do not yet have this information available for each child. Many parents may have filed a request for exemption after missing the written report deadline. Or, parents may have a waiver because their child missed one or a few vaccines and it could be as simple as reminding these parents to get the immunizations.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) monitors and enforces immunization compliance in public and private schools and has the authority to randomly survey schools for maintenance of required records. The DHS has a guide for schools. Any request to review student immunization records would come on official DHS letterhead. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of the request, you can contact the number on the letterhead to confirm its authenticity.

Measles is considered one of the most contagious infectious diseases, with health professionals advising that an unvaccinated person has a 90 percent chance of contracting the disease if they walk through a room after an infected person has been there for up to two hours after the person is gone.

If nothing else, educating your parents on the necessity of the measles vaccine could help protect your school and students from a possible outbreak that would lead to more days off school after a string of weather closings.

Resources to comply with state law and support parent education:

IMPORTANT: Wisconsin School Immunization Requirements 2018-2019 (You may want to print and place it in your WCRIS Legal Handbook) It has the list of immunizations and the ages at which they must be administered; all the required forms that a school needs to complete; and template letters to parents, the health department and to the District Attorney.

WI Department of Health Services measles fact sheet  https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p42174.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/parents-top4.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/diseases/child/measles-basics-color.pdf (could be used in a newsletter)