Ohio Bill Requires Vaccines For Children In Day Care

Bipartisan legislation House Bill 536 introduced this week requires all children in Ohio to be immunized against specific diseases in licensed day care and preschool. The bill was influenced by the recent mumps and measles outbreak in central Ohio.

The state is the only one without immunization requirements for children in pre-kindergarten. Rep. Nickie Antonio, the bill’s sponsor, said that children need more protection from preventable diseases. The central Ohio mumps outbreak has ballooned to 342 cases while measles has affected 68 people in Ohio, with Parma students reportedly being exposed to the disease. “These all give us great pause and concern as well as that Ohio falls below the national average when it comes to children who have the complete line of vaccinations,” said Rep. Antonio in a news conference.

According to the 2012 National Immunization Survey, approximately 68 percent of children in Ohio aged 19 to 35 months received the combined vaccine series. This is lower than the national average of 68.4 percent. The series covered vaccination against preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR). Vaccinations against hepatitis B, poliovirus, and diphtheria among others were also included.

Parents are required by existing state law to submit medical forms to child care providers. The bill will include space to note immunizations and require a valid signature from a physician for completion. A previously approved legislation permits pharmacists and pharmacy interns to administer immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These include vaccines for flu, tetanus, and other diseases.

"At the end of the day, we believe immunizations are very important, preventative health care is extremely important," said Rep. Ryan Smith, who was a joint sponsor of the bill.

The vaccination schedule was set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requiring children to be vaccinated before  attending a licensed center or home day care center.