Wisconsin Republicans Block Mandatory Meningitis Vaccine
As the public awaits a vaccine that could end the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, Wisconsin Republicans say they aren’t convinced the state should require certain vaccines for school children recommended by the medical community.
Republicans on the Legislature’s administrative rules committee last week objected to part of a rule proposed by the state Department of Health Services that would have required seventh-graders to get vaccinated for meningitis and to receive a booster shot before entering 12th grade. Despite GOP objections, the requirement could still go into place after the administrative rules process is completed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the meningitis vaccination for children, as do the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota all require at least one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine in either sixth or seventh grade.
“Kids in Wisconsin are theoretically being left at more risk than other areas,” said Dr. James Conway, a pediatric infectious disease expert at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.
But Republicans on the committee are dismissing the medical consensus, choosing instead to side with parents and chiropractors who say a mandate is unnecessary given adverse reactions, low rates of meningitis and already high rates of voluntary vaccination among school children.
https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/amid-covid-19-crisis-republicans-object-to-expanding-meningitis-vaccine-requirement/article_483404b9-770c-53e0-ac16-469e37e3a8b6.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
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