Many students do not realize that a bad case of measles can cause pneumonia, brain damage and death, or that complications from mumps can lead to pancreatitis, meningitis and hearing loss. Before vaccines became available, whooping cough caused thousands of
Many students do not realize that a bad case of measles can cause pneumonia, brain damage and death, or that complications from mumps can lead to pancreatitis, meningitis and hearing loss. Before vaccines became available, whooping cough caused thousands of deaths in the United States every year. By the year 2000, the Center for Disease Control had deemed that each of these illnesses had been eliminated, controlled or vaccine-preventable, yet in the last five years they have all infiltrated University of California (UC) campuses.
Most Americans living in the 21st century have never experienced the devastation that can result from measles, whooping cough and mumps. According to some experts, this lack of experience might be one reason why Americans are not prioritizing vaccinations and why vaccination rates in some parts of the country are declining. Dr. Thomas Ferguson, medical director of the UC Davis Student Health Center, wants to make sure vaccination rates at UC Davis remain high.
New vaccine requirements coming to UC Davis
Ferguson is one of several leaders of the UC Systemwide Immunization Policy Work Group, a committee dedicated to creating consistent vaccination and screening requirements across the UCs that would comply with those recommended by the California Department of Health (CDH) and the American College Health Association (ACHA). The committee hopes to implement these new requirements by Fall 2016.
UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Davis will pilot the regulations determined appropriate by the committee as a soft mandate, meaning that students will be able to petition to waive the requirements in the cases of religious restrictions or medical cause.
While the only vaccination requirement for students entering UC Davis is compliance with the California state law which mandates hepatitis B inoculation for students under 18, the California Department of Public Health recommends that university students should be vaccinated for the measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), meningococcal meningitis and hepatitis B before coming to school.
Do students need vaccinations?
According to Ferguson, ensuring a high rate of immunizations on UC campuses is cr