Schools
Some Fairfax County Parents Opting Out of Vaccinations for Their Children
Parents can use waivers to opt out of 'mandatory' vaccines required for kindergarten and 6th grade
About one percent of Fairfax County students are not getting vaccines, according to a national survey published this week in Pediatrics. According to the Fort Hunt Patch, the study concludes that one-in-ten parents don't comply with the vaccination schedule recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Since many of the communicable diseases that we have developed vaccinations against still exist, any person who does not receive the recommended vaccines is at risk for contracting diseases like Pertussis, Measles, Rubella, Chickenpox or Hepatitus B," said Esther Walker, assistant director of Patient Care Services, Fairfax County Health Department. "These diseases are preventable and the best way to protect a child is to keep him or her up-to-date on recommended vaccinations… Children and adults can be exposed to communicable diseases anywhere they go."
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