Wednesday, May 17, 2000
Senate votes to require vaccine
Schoolchildren would add shot for chickenpox
By Michael Hawthorne
Enquirer Columbus Bureau
COLUMBUS — Ohio youngsters are a step closer to needing a vaccination against chickenpox before entering school.
On a 26-7 vote, the Ohio Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would require the inoculation starting next fall for those who haven't been exposed to the virus before entering school.
Many pediatricians and public health officials are pushing parents to get their children vaccinated against chickenpox, which for most kids means an itchy week off from school.
In rare cases, the childhood rite of passage can be dangerous. Some 9,600 Americans are hospitalized and as many as 100 die from the disease every year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“This vaccine will keep this potentially deadly disease out of our schools and out of our homes,” said sponsoring Sen. Bruce Johnson, R-Westerville.
Mr. Johnson's bill would require all Ohio children 12 and younger to be vaccinated against chickenpox. Children who have had the disease would not need the vaccination, but their parents would be required to inform school officials.
Twenty-two states require the vaccine. Health officials in Kentucky and Indiana recommend it.
Senators sent the Ohio bill to the House without debate. If it becomes law, the chickenpox vaccine would join a growing list of shots required before kindergarten.
The state already requires kids to be immunized against polio, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, mumps, measles and rubella. Lawmakers added a three-dose hepatitis B inoculation last year.
Opponents say the decision should be left to parents and their family physicians.
Ohio law allows parents to reject any immunizations for their children based on medical, religious or philosophical objections. Opponents say few schools notify parents they can seek such an exemption.
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