Doc: Vaccine exemptions a ‘risk’ for everyone
As the latest data from the state shows falling vaccination rates in some Connecticut schools, a local pediatrician says an increase in exempting children from vaccines “puts everyone at risk.”
While state law requires kids to receive their “shots” before starting school, the latest data from the state Department of Public Health shows that the vaccination rate for students during the 201819 school year was below the threshold for herd immunity at three schools in Stamford and another two are toeing the line.
“The religious exemption has gotten out of hand,” said Dr. Steven Schiz, director of pediatrics for Greenwich Hospital.
The religious exemption on vaccinations is very broad in Connecticut, Schiz said. Anyone can claim religious exemptions without any documentation or information on the religion being adhered to, he said.
“It’s a very loose arrangement,” he said. “It has been abused and puts everybody at risk.”
There is an increasing focus on the issue of schoolage immunization, especially for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, following a large outbreak of measles last year in New York state as well as four confirmed cases in Connecticut. Gov. Ned Lamont has pushed for the release of schoolbyschool data and called on the legislature to end religious exemptions to vaccines.
One private school in Stamford did just that.
The BiCultural Day School, which describes itself as a “progressive leader in secular and Judaic studies,” eliminated the religious exemption for vaccines last spring after the measles outbreak, said David Pitkoff, president of the school’s board of trustees.
“We consulted with rabbis in the community and felt the religious exemption was no longer effective because of the danger measles posed to the community. I was really happy about it,” Pitkoff said. “All the rabbis — reform, conservative and orthodox, said the health of the child and saving a life overrides any
concern.”
Pitkoff said since the state had not eliminated the exemption, the school decided it had to make the change itself.
According to updated vaccine rates released on Oct. 21, following an initial release in August, 5.5 percent of BiCultural students took a religious exemption.
The data comes from the 201819 school year and Pitkoff said the number of vaccinated students now is closer to 97 to 98 percent, with only a few students taking a medical exemption.
The school in Stamford with the highest rate of unvaccinated students, The Children’s School, is a private organization and did not respond to request for comment. At Children’s, 5.4 percent of students took a religious exemption while 2.3 had a medical exemption, resulting in a total vaccination rate of 92.2 percent of students, according to the 201819 data.
Only one Stamford Public School — Springdale Elementary School — fell below the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended vaccination rate of 95 percent with a vaccination rate of 94.5.
Both Northeast Elementary School and Rogers International School came close to not meeting the herd immunity threshold, but barely passed it, with vaccination rates of 95.3 percent and 95. 8 percent respectively.
When it comes to kindergartenonly vaccination rates, some of the same names pop up, but it is not an exact match.
For MMR specifically, only 89.5 percent of kindergartners at The Children’s School are vaccinated.
Because of the small number of students who attend The BiCultural Day School, the state suppressed the data for kindergartners.
As for Stamford public schools, there were five with kindergarten populations below the threshold for the MMR vaccine: Stamford Charter School for Excellence at 91.1 percent, Springdale School at 88.7 percent, Rogers International School at 93.5 percent, Northeast School at 94.8 percent and Westover School at 94.7 percent.
“Herd immunity is important because it protects people who cannot get vaccinated for legitimate reasons, (such as people with) a weak immune system, babies, those with vaccine allergies, or an immunesuppressing disease,” Sacred Heart University Master of Public Health Program Director Anna E. Greer said.
“Parents are strongly encouraged to vaccinate their children to protect their own children and others who are unable to get vaccines for legitimate reasons,” she continued.
This became a political battle in New York after a large measles outbreak, and Lamont added in his support for the release of records as well as the end to religious exemptions.
Religious exemptions are the No. 1 reason Connecticut families do not give their kindergartenage children the MMR vaccination.
Connecticut did not start making the number of religious exemptions public until 200304, Greer said. Since then, the state have has seen an increase in the number of families claiming religious exemptions.
The largest jump in families claiming religious exemption for the MMR vaccine was from 201718 to 201819, when the number jumped 25 percent, she said.
The religious exemption is very broad, said Schiz, director of pediatrics for Greenwich Hospital. “There are a handful of families willing to use it in Connecticut,” he said.
But the state does not ask for the religion being adhered to or passages being referenced, Schiz said.
“It’s a very loose arrangement,” he said. “That’s why states are ending it. It has been abused and puts everybody at risk.”
Widespread religious exemptions contributed to recent measles outbreaks, which led New York State to ban such exemptions.
“So I’m sure prior to this year, school system rates were similar in New York because families wanted to use the religious exemption,” Schiz said.
Many patients have come in to get vaccinated to attend school in New York state, Schiz said. As for Connecticut families, most want to complete 100 percent of the vaccination schedule, and the concerns are significantly less, he said.
“Who knows if Connecticut is going to pass the legislation since the measles outbreak has passed,” Schiz said. “It’d be nice if the legislators in Connecticut would take this up.”
In September, Gov. Ned Lamont said that Connecticut should join the growing number of states that require medically able children who attend public schools to receive vaccinations for preventable diseases.