On February 28, 2024, the Arizona Families for Vaccines held their first Vaccine Day at the Capital. Arizonans shared their personal stories of why having a well vaccinated community is important in their workplaces, in their homes, in their schools, and for their families.
According to data from the Arizona Families for Vaccines, the majority of Arizona’s families are immunized and support strong public health law.
Americans remain steadfast in their belief in the overall value of childhood vaccines, with no change over the last four years in the large majority who say the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) outweigh the risks, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Children are generally required to get a number of vaccinations before attending public school. In Arizona, exemptions can be given for both medical and non-medical reasons including religious or personal beliefs.
As reported by Axios Phoenix, Arizona had one of the highest vaccine exemption rates for kindergartners in the country last year, well above the national median and lower than only three other states. In Arizona, 6.8% of kindergartners in Arizona were granted exemptions for required vaccines as of the school year ending in 2022. The national median for these exemption was 2.7%.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) is responsible for publishing the forms a parent or legal guardian must sign when requesting a vaccine exemption for their child. Each form includes the potential risks of not protecting the child with vaccines in accordance to the CDC guidelines.
- Medical Exemption Form [Español] – Must be completed by the child’s physician or nurse practitioner.
- Religious Beliefs Exemption Form [Español] – Must be completed by the parent or guardian of a child attending childcare or preschool programs. The initials of the parent/guardian and the date are required next to each vaccine preventable disease description, in addition to the signature and date at the bottom of the form.
- Personal Beliefs Exemption Form [Español] – Must be completed by the parent or guardian of a student attending Kindergarten through 12th grade. Personal Beliefs exemptions are not applicable in childcare or preschool programs. The initials of the parent/guardian and the date are required next to each vaccine preventable disease description, in addition to the signature and date at the bottom of the form.
Routine vaccinations during childhood help prevent 14 diseases Among children born from 1994-2018, vaccinations will prevent an estimated 936,000 early deaths, 8 million hospitalizations, and 419 million illnesses (CDC)
A Silent Majority and a Vocal Minority
According to ADHS data, 89.9% of the 78,937 Arizona kindergarten students were vaccinated with the MMR vaccine as they entered the 2022-2023 school year. The incoming 6th grade class statewide had a 95.4% MMR Vaccination rate. These vaccines protect against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
According to the World Health Organization, measles is one of the most contagious human viruses but is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. Coverage of 95% or greater of 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine is needed to create herd immunity in order to protect communities and achieve and maintain measles elimination.
When collective MMR vaccination rates drop below 95% in a population, our “herd immunity” diminishes and this can lead to pockets of outbreaks.
While the World Health Organization, the CDC, pediatricians, healthcare systems, educators and others have worked diligently to get the message out that childhood vaccines are safe, effective, and important for the child’s health and public health, these messages are sometimes downed out on social media and other communications channels by a very vocal minority of people speaking out against vaccinations.
Giving the Silent Majority a Voice
Arizona Families for Vaccines is a volunteer-driven grassroots network of family members dedicated to advocating for public health and evidence-based public policy and promoting immunizations for healthier kids and communities. They work closely with a broad set of partners to combat misinformation about vaccines, educate legislators about the value of policy based in science, and support legislation, legislators, and candidates that champion public health and the greater good.
By sharing their personal stories during Vaccine Day at the Capitol they raised awareness of how public health policy impacts real people and why policies that support healthier and safer communities matter to them.
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Editor’s Note: Arizona Families for Vaccines is a Community Partner Member of AZBio.