AMA Adopts More Stringent Vaccine Requirement Policy

At its annual meeting in June, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a new policy to seek more stringent state immunization requirements to allow exemptions only for medical reasons. The policy recommends that states have in place an established decision mechanism that involves qualified public health physicians to determine which vaccines will be mandatory for admission to school and other public venues. That recommendation includes that states grant exemptions to those mandated vaccines only for medical reasons. In addition, the policy states that physicians and other health professionals who have direct patient care responsibilities have an obligation to accept immunization unless there is a recognized medical reason. The AMA will support the dissemination of materials on vaccine efficacy to states as part of its effort to eliminate non-medical exemptions. Currently, immunization requirements vary from state to state, but only two states bar non-medical exemptions based on personal beliefs.