Vaccinations and the State of Florida Identifying and Associating With Professional Coalition

Identifying and Associating With Professional Coalitions:
Vaccinations and the State of Florida
For school-age children, the state of Florida, according to the most recent data on its website (2018) requires a relatively standard battery of immunizations, including inoculations for diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (Tdap), measles mumps and rubella (MMR), polio (IPV), Hepatitis B, chickenpox (Varicella). Some of these vaccinations have incurred controversy over the years, including claimed links to autism. Currently, for children medically able to be vaccinated Florida only permits religious exemptions from vaccinations. In other words, parents cannot opt their children out of vaccines purely due to personal conviction and stated fears. All 50 states permit vaccine exemptions for medical reasons (“Vaccination Exemptions,” 2018). These may include children with compromised immune systems or children with allergies to ingredients in the vaccines.
However, only three states—Mississippi, West Virginia, and California—only permit medical exemptions to vaccines. The other 47 states permit religious exemptions and exemptions of conscience. Most states demand that religious exemptions be justified with demonstrated sincere theological belief and there must be evidence that the belief is not merely personal philosophical conviction (“Vaccination Exemptions,” 2018). Such an exemption is usually justified based upon the Establishment Clause, or separation between church and state, which mandates that citizens be allowed to practice their faith freely (“Vaccination Exemptions,” 2018). Pro-vaccination advocates, however, point out the serious material impact that unvaccinated children can have in society, including the ability to infect other children who cannot be vaccinated, or individuals for whom the vaccine was not effective.
Eighteen states permit parents to be exempt simply due to parental philosophical or personal belief, even if that belief is not philosophical in nature (“Vaccination Exemptions,” 2018). The procedure usually requires parents to file a form stating why they find vaccinations objectionable. Pro-vaccination advocates are concerned given the rise in fears of diseases linked to vaccines and ingredients in vaccines, the demand for such exemptions has grown exponentially, from 0.99 to 2.45% between the years 1991 and 2004 (“Vaccination Exemptions,” 2018). As the memory of children actually affected by such diseases atrophies, vaccination rates may continue to decline, as manifested in a resurgence of diseases once thought to be eradicated. The rise of information on the Internet that is not medically validated has given further fuel to the anti-vaccine fires.
To counteract the voices of anti-vaccine advocates, a number of organizations have raised their voices in support of vaccinations, some to educate parents to promote vaccines, and others to mandate mandatory vaccinations. The organization Voices for Vaccines is specifically designed to promote vaccinations to parents through spreading knowledge. It is designed to counteract the guilt parents are sometimes made to feel for vaccinating their children by anti-vaccine advocates through the use of educational toolkits. The group also discusses legal strategies to promote vaccines, including the pro-vaccine legislation passed in California to limit the ability for parents to demand exemptions.
Although anti-vaccine advocates claim that deciding whether to allow children to be vaccinated or not is a personal choice, pro-vaccine advocates note that choices regarding immunization have a societal impact that extends well beyond the individual. Still, despite laws limiting the ability to opt out, parents with entrenched beliefs can often find ways to work around legislation with sympathetic physicians or claiming religious exemptions. Creating a culture within a community where vaccinations are once again the norm is essential to ensure that routine childhood vaccines are fully utilized.

References
Exemption from vaccinations. (2018). State of Florida. Retrieved from:
http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/immunization/children-and- adolescents/immunization-exemptions/index.html
School immunization requirements. (2018). State of Florida. Retrieved from:
http://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/immunization/children-and- adolescents/school-immunization-requirements/index.html#heading_2
Vaccine exemptions. (2018). History of Vaccines. Retrieved from:
https://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/vaccination-exemptions
Voices for Vaccines. (2018). Retrieved from:
https://www.voicesforvaccines.org/