Vaccine obligations at school are not new.They have been used since 1850

The first vaccination obligation in US schools was enacted in Massachusetts in the 1850s to prevent smallpox infection. By the 1900s, almost half of all states had the same requirements.

“Initially, when mandates began, the idea was to prevent the spread of the disease epidemic and essentially control the epidemic,” Shen said. “Over the decades, we have evolved to expand the scope of vaccination, which was considered important to public health in the absence of an epidemic.”

by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)By 1963, 20 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were obliged to require various vaccines to enroll in school. However, the enforcement was uneven.

By the late 1960s, the nationwide outbreak of measles had given a new focus to immunization of school children.

“We knew that school infections were a really big problem,” Shen said. “We looked at jurisdictions that strictly enforce the obligation to exclude unvaccinated children and found that the obligation is really effective because of the low incidence in states that strictly enforce school admission requirements. I found out. “

In 1977, the U.S. federal government Pediatric Immunization Initiative The aim is to increase pediatric immunization rates for seven diseases for which vaccines are routinely administered during childhood, including:

• diphtheria
• measles
• Mumps
• Whooping cough
• Acute poliomyelitis
• rubella
• tetanus

This was when all 50 states widely adopted mandatory school vaccinations.

Today, all states, District of Columbia, and US territory have vaccination requirements for children to attend schools and day care facilities. State law sets out immunization requirements, enforcement mechanisms and tax exemption rules.

Most school requirements CDC vaccination schedule For children including measles, meningitis, polio, chickenpox, whooping cough, hepatitis vaccination. Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) and annual influenza vaccination are also required in some states.

Dr. Sara SidikiPediatricians at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital in NYU Langone point out some of the many successes of vaccine requirements at school.

“To protect all children from childhood infectious diseases, we need a vaccination obligation for attending school and day care,” she said. “HIB and meningococcal meningitis are rare at this time because they are severe and fatal in children and require vaccination.”

She said the pneumococcal vaccine Prevnar also prevented countless hospitalizations for children under the age of three.

“Streptococcus pneumoniae causes blood-borne, pneumonia, and ear infections in children and was a common cause of hospitalization before 2000,” said Siddiqui. “Influenza vaccination helps prevent hospitalization and serious illness in children each year.”

Experts say it is understandable that parents may be concerned about the use of the COVID-19 vaccine in their children.

“Parents have a lot of questions,” Shen said. “They are concerned about the rate at which the vaccine was developed and its impact on children compared to the potential risks.”

She advises her parents to talk to her pediatrician about these concerns.

As a pediatrician, Siddiqui addresses many of these questions on a daily basis.

When parents express concern about when the COVID-19 vaccine was developed, she explains that while the vaccine is new, the technology is not.

“The mRNA technology behind COVID-19 vaccination has been studied for over a decade in the first SARS and MERS coronavirus outbreaks,” said Siddiqui. “At that time, scientists began developing and researching vaccines for future use. Vaccine trials and trials were not modified or shortened for approval. [the] The COVID-19 vaccine was promoted during the time given between trials. ”

Scientists also had a much larger research group than they normally do to test vaccines, given the prevalence of large numbers of diseases.

“Since its first release, millions of doses have been administered, and the COVID-19 vaccine has been found to be safe and effective in preventing serious illness and hospitalization,” said Siddiqui. I am.

Also, as COVID-19 continues to spread in the United States and around the world and new variants are being developed, experts are encouraging parents to vaccinate eligible children.

“The incidence of children with COVID symptoms and suffering from long-term effects is increasing, rarely after being exposed to COVID-19, called polyinflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children. But I have a serious illness, “says Siddiqui.

“MIS-C occurs 4-6 weeks after a child is exposed to COVID-19 and can present with serious symptoms such as fever and vomiting, requiring hospitalization and aggressive treatment.” She explained.

“Vaccination of children against COVID-19 helps prevent the spread of the disease, prevent serious illness, boost herd immunity and prevent long-term complications in children,” Siddiqui said. rice field.