Exclusion Day in Oregon, new attention due to measles outbreak
Today February 20, is exclusion day. This is the day Oregon school kids who have not had their immunizations can be excluded from schools. This state has the highest number of children in the nation who are legally exempt from getting the measles vaccination. Parents can exempt their child from immunizations due to medical, religious, or philosophical reasons.
A measles outbreak in Washington state prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a state of emergency on Jan. 25.
Both Oregon and Washington are looking at tightening up their restrictions, which would prompt more kids to get immunized.
Democrat State Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, confirmed he has ordered a bill which would remove the provision in Oregon that allows parents to keep their kids from getting immunized.
As of Thursday, 55 cases have been confirmed this year, most of them in unvaccinated children under age 10. The outbreak’s epicenter is Clark County, Wash., just north of Portland, Ore.
Kids in preschool, childcare, or Head start programs must have at least one dose of the measles vaccine. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade must have both doses.
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