New
analysis by the CDC finds that while the percentage of families opting out
of school-required vaccines for kindergartners for non-medical reasons is dropping
nationally, Connecticut’s rate continues to rise. The percent of
Connecticut kindergarteners without vaccines rose from 0.8% in 2009/2010 to
1.7% in 2015/2016. Connecticut is one of only eleven states with rising rates
of non-medical exemptions. As in most states, Connecticut parents can opt-out
of required vaccines for their children by asserting a religious objection. In
2015, the state changed the law to require annual
certifications witnessed by a public official. Last September, the American Academy of
Pediatrics issued a position
statement urging all states to eliminate non-medical childhood vaccine
exemptions stating, “The AAP
views nonmedical exemptions to school-required immunizations as inappropriate
for individual, public health, and ethical reasons and advocates for their
elimination.”
