PA Bill Would Require Doctors To Treat Unvaccinated Kids

With measles cases at their highest U.S. level in 25 years, a Pennsylvania lawmaker has introduced a bill that would prohibit doctors from denying care to children whose parents have decided to not have them vaccinated. State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, held a news conference in Harrisburg Tuesday to call attention to the measure that anti-immunization activists are supporting.

Under the bill, known as the Informed Consent Protection Act,health care pactitioners and health care facilities would not be permitted to"harrass, coerce, scold or threaten a patient or parent or guardian of a patient for exercising the right to delay or decline a vaccination."

If the bill becomes law, first-time violators would face fines of up to $1,000. Subsequent violations could result in the suspension or revocation of a provider or facility's license.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from January 1 through April 26, 704 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 22 states. That's the greatest number of cases reported in the country since 1994 and since measles were declared eliminated in 200.

Measles can be prevented with MMR vaccine. The vaccine protects against three diseases: measles, mumps, and rubella. The Centers for Disease Control recommends children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Teens and adults should also be up to date on their MMR
vaccination.

The MMR vaccine is considered safe and effective. Two doses of MMR vaccine are about 97 percent effective at preventing measles; one dose is about 93 percent.