Ducey’s Plan To Combat Anti-Vaxxers Is More PSAs

Arizona is on the precipice of a public health crisis because more and more parents refuse to get their children vaccinated because of misinformation spread by people who say vaccines are dangerous, despite evidence to the contrary. The measles vaccination rate for kindergartners has fallen to 93%, less than the 95% needed to create “herd immunity” and prevent outbreaks. Arizona is the fourth-worst state in the nation for granting vaccination exemptions to schoolchildren. Researchers say Maricopa County is likely to experience a measles outbreak.

As other states have grappled with the same trends in vaccination rates, they have taken strong action with the backing of public health officials and advocates. Both California and Washington have enacted laws that forbid parents from claiming “personal belief” exemptions from vaccinations when they register their children for school.

If the children aren’t vaccinated, and don’t have a medical reason why they can’t be, they can’t enroll in public schools in those states.

Arizona won’t be doing that, Gov. Doug Ducey told Arizona Mirror in a Jan. 9 interview. Ducey, who stopped anti-vaxx measures being pushed by GOP lawmakers in their tracks last year when he sharply criticized them, said Arizona will “continue to be pro-vaccination, anti-measles.”

But that doesn’t mean the government will do much more than it is doing now to combat anti-vaccination junk science.

Ducey said “proper communication, education, public service announcements” are the best course of action to reverse that trend.

“Parents are going to have a choice. We’re going to respect religious liberty,” he said.

By Jim Small, Arizona Mirror, originally posted on Jan. 24, 2020

For more stories from the Arizona Mirror, visit AZMirror.com.