lily
12-15-2007, 12:36 AM
Little germ machines that they are.......I don't think parents should be forced to have their child vaccinated from the flu. Add that on to all the other vaccinations they have to recieve and you may be asking for trouble. (http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/14/flu.fight.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview)
Flu shots now mandatory for New Jersey preschoolers
TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey on Friday became the first state to
require flu shots for preschoolers, saying their developing immune systems
and likelihood of spreading germs make them as vulnerable to complications
as the elderly.
Flu shots and three other vaccines will be required for school children in
New Jersey starting next fall.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Fred M. Jacobs approved the requirement and
three other vaccines for school children starting September 1, 2008, over
the objections of some parent groups.
The new requirements "will have a direct impact on reducing illnesses,
hospitalizations and deaths in one of New Jersey's most vulnerable
populations -- our children," Jacobs said in a statement.
A health advisory board Monday backed the new requirements on a 5-2 vote
with one abstention after parents said they worried about the safety of
giving young children dozens of vaccine doses.
Some also say they don't want government making their medical decisions.
Starting in September, all children attending preschool or licensed day care
centers will have to get an annual flu shot, Jacobs said. That makes New
Jersey the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers or older
students, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
New Jersey also will require preschoolers to get a pneumococcal vaccine and
sixth-graders to get vaccines against meningitis, which New Jersey already
requires for college dormitory residents, and a booster shot against
whooping cough, which in recent years has seen a resurgence blamed on waning
potency of shots given to infants and preschoolers.
Some parents support proposed legislation that would give families a right
to skip required immunizations by lodging a "philosophical objection," as
some other states allow. The bill has been sitting in a committee without
action for several years.
New Jersey does grant an automatic exemption on religious grounds and allows
exemptions for medical reasons.
The new vaccines will be available for free for low-income families, and
private insurers generally will cover the cost.
Flu shots now mandatory for New Jersey preschoolers
TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey on Friday became the first state to
require flu shots for preschoolers, saying their developing immune systems
and likelihood of spreading germs make them as vulnerable to complications
as the elderly.
Flu shots and three other vaccines will be required for school children in
New Jersey starting next fall.
State Health Commissioner Dr. Fred M. Jacobs approved the requirement and
three other vaccines for school children starting September 1, 2008, over
the objections of some parent groups.
The new requirements "will have a direct impact on reducing illnesses,
hospitalizations and deaths in one of New Jersey's most vulnerable
populations -- our children," Jacobs said in a statement.
A health advisory board Monday backed the new requirements on a 5-2 vote
with one abstention after parents said they worried about the safety of
giving young children dozens of vaccine doses.
Some also say they don't want government making their medical decisions.
Starting in September, all children attending preschool or licensed day care
centers will have to get an annual flu shot, Jacobs said. That makes New
Jersey the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers or older
students, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
New Jersey also will require preschoolers to get a pneumococcal vaccine and
sixth-graders to get vaccines against meningitis, which New Jersey already
requires for college dormitory residents, and a booster shot against
whooping cough, which in recent years has seen a resurgence blamed on waning
potency of shots given to infants and preschoolers.
Some parents support proposed legislation that would give families a right
to skip required immunizations by lodging a "philosophical objection," as
some other states allow. The bill has been sitting in a committee without
action for several years.
New Jersey does grant an automatic exemption on religious grounds and allows
exemptions for medical reasons.
The new vaccines will be available for free for low-income families, and
private insurers generally will cover the cost.