Vaccine mandates
For more than a century, schools have played a crucial role in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S.
In 1802, Massachusetts became the first state to encourage smallpox vaccinations. Forty-eight years later, it was home to the first school to require vaccination.
By 1900, nearly half of the states required children to be vaccinated before beginning school. By 1963, 20 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico mandated a variety of vaccines for children.
In the late 1960s, efforts were underway to eradicate measles in the U.S. In the ’70s, states requiring the measles vaccine had incidence rates 40% to 51% lower than the states not requiring it.
Alaska and Los Angeles found themselves among the poorer-performing areas in that regard — forcing health officials to strictly enforce the existing requirements.
In Alaska,
7,418 of 89,109 students (8.3%) did not provide proof of vaccination and were not permitted to attend school. A month later, fewer than 51 students were still excluded.
In Los Angeles,
50,000 of 1,400,000 students (4%) were not allowed in school. Most of them returned within a few days.
In both cases, the number of measles cases plummeted, proving enforcement of vaccine mandates to be an effective public health measure, Malone and Hinman wrote.