Personal Injury Law

Oregon requires Hep A vaccine for children

By Marler Clark LLP

Oregon, it appears, will become the 11th state beginning in the Falls of 2008 to require children in preschool, childcare facilities, kindergarten and Head Start to have two doses of Hepatitis A vaccine.

Over the next few years, Hepatitis A vaccine requirements will be added to other grade levels in Oregon. 

Oregon allows two types of immunization exemptions: one for religious purposes, which requires a guardian signature, and the other for medical reasons, which requires a physician or a health department official signature.

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Utah currently include Hepatitis A vaccines in their school immunization requirements.

California strongly recommend children get vaccine shots for Hepatitis A, but do not require them.

About 180,000 people become infected annually with the Hepatitis A virus, and about one third of those are children.

Full post as published by Hepatitis Blog on January 02, 2008 (boomark / email).