Colorado Last In Vaccinations, That May Be Changing
The personal belief exemption regarding vaccines may be coming to an end in Colorado.
Less than 89 percent of kindergarteners are being inoculated to prevent illnesses like measles and mumps and that has one lawmaker in Colorado efforting to change that.
Kyle Mullica, a Democrat from Northglenn is looking to introduce legislation to remove the exemption that leaves the state open to those and other illnesses.
Not all in Colorado government are behind the initiative, however. Governor Polis, concerned about the inoculations in Colorado is not a fan of government getting in the way of families and their beliefs and is hopeful another solution will help bring Colorado closer to the national average of 85 percent.
Vaccines currently required by Colorado schools include:
- Hepatitis B.
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTap).*
- Inactivated poliovirus (IPV).*
- Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR).*
- Varicella (chicken pox). *
- Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap).
Additionally, these vaccines are required for children to enter daycare:
- Hepatitis B.
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTap).
- Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib).
- Inactivated poliovirus (IPV).
- Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13) or polysaccharide (PPSV23).
- Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR).
- Varicella (chicken pox)
As this is just getting underway, Coloradans on both sides of the issue will be heard before a decision is made on whether or not to make a law that requires children to be inoculated.