Outbreak Risks at Religious Schools: Prevalence of Nonmedical Vaccination Exemptions Among Michigan Kindergartens

Files

Authors

Flora Martz, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Student
Patrick Karabon, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Student
Mark C. Navin, Beaumont Health

Description

Religious community membership is relevant to immunization policy, as in the case of 2019 US measles outbreaks clustered in Orthodox Jewish communities. US immunization policy focuses on school enrollment requirements, which apply both to public and private (usually religiously-affiliated) schools. Most US states exempt students from these requirements for nonmedical reasons, including religious reasons, though some states, including New York, California, and Maine, have recently eliminated nonmedical exemptions. This study uses 2017-18 data from the state of Michigan to illuminate relationships between nonmedical exemption (NME) rates and attendance at religious schools with the aim of providing information about high-value targets for future vaccination policy to increase compliance and decrease vaccine-preventable diseases.

Publication Date

5-2023

Keywords

Orthodox Jewish communities, US immunization policy

Disciplines

Bioethics and Medical Ethics

Recommended Citation

Martz F, Karabon P, Navin M. Outbreak risks at religious schools: prevalence of nonmedical vaccination exemptions among Michigan kindergartens. Poster presented at: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Embark Capstone Colloquium; 2023 May; Rochester Hills, MI.

Comments

The Embark Capstone Colloquium at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester Hills, MI, May, 2023