Following a New York Case: The Impact of Vaccination Exemptions for School Aged Children on Biosecurity
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Kathleen Goegel
Abstract
The anti-vaccination trend is growing in the United States and with this trend comes risk. Although there are a limited number of people who cannot receive vaccinations for medical reasons, many people who choose not to vaccinate their children use a vaccination exemption to ensure their child(ren) are able to attend school. I will be focusing on the risk associated with school-aged children who are not vaccinated. This risk is primarily focused on public health and biosecurity, which deals specifically with the national health issues and possible bioterrorism threats originating in schools. This risk is only enhanced by the fact that exemptions differ from state to state, and states have broad exemptions. In my analysis of the anti-vaccination trend with school-age children and the risk associated with it, I will be looking at the case of M.A. et al v. Rockland County Health Department out of the Southern District Court of New York and connecting the facts of that case to the countrywide risk.[1] My analysis will begin by looking at the specifics of that case and the constitutional implications that came along with it. I will then use that case and the outbreak in Rockland County to present the possible biosecurity and public health implications that come with children not being vaccinated. Finally, I will present my recommendation on vaccination exemptions as it pertains to limiting these implications in the future.
© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Introduction to Volume XII
- Articles
- If U.S. Citizens Pose a Risk to International Health, Can the Federal Government Prevent Them from Traveling Abroad?
- The Human Patent: What Intellectual Property Rights Does an Individual Have in Their Own Genetic Material, and What Are the Global Biosecurity Implications?
- Following a New York Case: The Impact of Vaccination Exemptions for School Aged Children on Biosecurity
- Is the Expectation of Privacy a Dying Standard? The Government’s Access to Biological Data, Consumer Data and Bioinformatics – And the Limitations that Should be in Place
- How to Quarantine False Information: What the U.S. Government May Do as False Information Spread on Social Media during a Public Health Crisis Becomes a Biosecurity Threat
- Biosecurity at the Border: How the Federal Government can Fulfill Its Duty and Ensure Its Citizens’ Rights by Minimizing the Public Health Risk Posed by Foreign Entrants
- Quarantine Authority in Texas: A COVID-19 Case Study
- The Hermit Kingdom’s Forgotten Threat: Evaluating UNSCR 1540’s Effectiveness in Controlling North Korea’s Biological Weapons Program
- Federal Quarantine: The Issue with Limited CDC Presence at Ports of Entry
- Pandemics and the Anti-vaccination Movement: Analyzing Anti-Vaxxers’ Privacy Rights During a Global Pandemic
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Introduction to Volume XII
- Articles
- If U.S. Citizens Pose a Risk to International Health, Can the Federal Government Prevent Them from Traveling Abroad?
- The Human Patent: What Intellectual Property Rights Does an Individual Have in Their Own Genetic Material, and What Are the Global Biosecurity Implications?
- Following a New York Case: The Impact of Vaccination Exemptions for School Aged Children on Biosecurity
- Is the Expectation of Privacy a Dying Standard? The Government’s Access to Biological Data, Consumer Data and Bioinformatics – And the Limitations that Should be in Place
- How to Quarantine False Information: What the U.S. Government May Do as False Information Spread on Social Media during a Public Health Crisis Becomes a Biosecurity Threat
- Biosecurity at the Border: How the Federal Government can Fulfill Its Duty and Ensure Its Citizens’ Rights by Minimizing the Public Health Risk Posed by Foreign Entrants
- Quarantine Authority in Texas: A COVID-19 Case Study
- The Hermit Kingdom’s Forgotten Threat: Evaluating UNSCR 1540’s Effectiveness in Controlling North Korea’s Biological Weapons Program
- Federal Quarantine: The Issue with Limited CDC Presence at Ports of Entry
- Pandemics and the Anti-vaccination Movement: Analyzing Anti-Vaxxers’ Privacy Rights During a Global Pandemic
