<
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/04/new-hampshire-republicans-polio-mmr-measles-vaccine-antivax-bill/>
"New Hampshire could soon beat Florida—known for its anti-vaccine Surgeon
General—when it comes to loosening vaccine requirements. A first-in-the-nation
bill that’s already passed New Hampshire’s state House, sponsored only by
Republican legislators, would end the requirement for parents enrolling kids in
child care to provide documentation of polio and measles vaccination. New
Hampshire would be the only state in the US to have such a law, although many
states allow religious exemptions to vaccine requirements.
Currently, Republicans control New Hampshire’s state House, Senate and
governor’s office—but that isn’t a guarantee that the bill will be signed into
law, with GOP Gov. Chris Sununu seemingly flip-flopping when it comes to
disease control. Sununu did sign a bill in 2021 allowing people to use public
places and services even if they did not receive the Covid-19 vaccine. But the
next year, the governor vetoed a bill that would bar schools from implementing
mask mandates.
The polio vaccine, first offered in 1955, and the MMR shot, which treats the
highly infectious measles, mumps, and rubella viruses, are two very crucial
vaccines both in the US and internationally. Since the year 2000 alone,
vaccines against measles are estimated to have saved over 55 million lives
around the world.
The CDC recommends that kids get their first dose of MMR vaccine between 12 and
15 months of age, and a first dose of the polio vaccine at around two months
old. All states currently require children to have at least started vaccination
against measles and polio in order to enroll in child care, according to the
nonprofit Immunize.org. A CDC report found that for the 2021-2022 school year,
around 93 percent of children had received the MMR and polio vaccines by the
time they entered kindergarten. That figure drops to less than 80 percent for
both vaccines—the lowest rate in the country—in Alaska, where a measles
outbreak could be devastating.
Rises in anti-vaccine sentiments have largely been linked to concerns that
vaccines cause health issues, like the debunked claim that the MMR vaccine
leads to kids being autistic. What parents may want to keep in mind is that
polio and measles themselves are disabling conditions: according to the World
Health Organization, 1 in 200 polio infections leads to irreversible paralysis.
Children who get measles can experience symptoms including swelling of the
brain. Death is always a possibility, too."
Via Joseph Teller.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
