Arizona lawmakers move forward on vaccine exemptions for kids

Disregarding warnings by public health officials, an Arizona legislative panel on Thursday endorsed three bills that critics say will erode immunization coverage among Arizona schoolchildren.

The House Health and Human Services Committee approved all three bills in contentious 5-4 votes that were split along party lines, with Republicans favoring the measures and Democrats voting in opposition.

Several critics pointed out measles outbreaks across the country and said the three bills could make Arizona more vulnerable.

One local doctor said the panel was sending a message of vaccine skepticism even though the science says vaccines are far safer than the diseases they prevent.

"Do we want the next outbreak news story to be in Arizona?" Dr. Steven R. Brown, a family physician in central Phoenix, asked the committee. "As a family physician who cares for the health of our citizens and especially our children, I am disheartened and frightened that this is up for debate. ... Nobody is here to tell the stories of people who are alive and not disabled by vaccine-preventable illness."

Two other bills endorsed by the committee Thursday would create more work for physicians. House Bill 2472 requires doctors to offer parents an "antibody titer" blood test to determine whether their child needs a vaccine or is already immune. House Bill 2471 is an informed-consent bill that would give parents information about vaccine ingredients and vaccine risks, including how to file a complaint for vaccine injury.



https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-health/2019/02/22/disregarding-warnings-arizona-lawmakers-move-forward-vaccine-exemptions/2942680002/