Shedding Exclusion Removed From Washington Measles Mandate Law

The Washington legislative bill HB 1638 that would remove philosophical exemptions from the vaccination mandate for school attendance has passed the House and will move to the Senate. The bill states:

the attendance of every child at every public and private school in the state and licensed day care center shall be conditioned upon the presentation before or on each child’s first day of attendance at a particular school or center, of proof of either (a) full immunization, (b) the initiation of and compliance with a schedule of immunization, as required by rules of the state board of health, or (c) a certificate of exemption as provided for in RCW 28A.210.090.

Representative McCaslin, understanding the risks associated with some vaccines, submitted an amendment to the bill requiring children who had been vaccinated with live virus vaccines to stay out of daycare or school to avoid shedding in accordance with the vaccine insert:

St. Jude’s Children’s hospital recommends immune suppressed children:

• To avoid contact with a person who has a rash after recently receiving the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine.
• To avoid contact with a person who has received a intranasal flu vaccine within one week. This applies only if your child is severely immune suppressed such as in the hospital after a recent bone marrow transplant There is no similar risk with the inactivated, injectable flu vaccine.
• If a household contact (infant) has recently received rotavirus vaccination, all family members should wash hands thoroughly and frequently after contact with the vaccinated infant, especially when changing diapers.
• Household contacts not receive the Oral Polio Vaccine. Note that the oral polio vaccine is not used in the United States

The amendment was withdrawn however, evidently because it would’ve been too much of a burden to parents and children. So, Washington thinks that protecting immune suppressed individuals is important enough to force people inject vaccines into their kids, but not important enough to keep vaccinated children away from them.

I guess there isn’t enough money in keeping vaccinated children away from immune suppressed kids.