![]() ![]() In New Jersey, 615 schools and daycare centers of 5,775 in the state had fewer than 94 percent of students who were fully vaccinated during the 2013-2014 school year because they had at least 6 percent of students with religious exemptions– as can be seen from the map. They’re particularly concerned that this rate doesn’t fall below the level that provides “herd immunity” –the point at which a population is generally immune.įor example, the World Health Organization estimates that the rate to achieve herd immunity for measles is between 83 percent and 94 percent. Public health advocates also raised concerns that the comments sent a mixed message to parents, while Christie’s own Department of Health is trying to raise the vaccination rate as much as possible. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsorīut the comments also highlighted Christie’s longstanding relationship with the community of parents who oppose the schedule of vaccines that children must receive to attend a New Jersey school - public or private. His comment in February that parents should have “a measure of choice” when it comes to vaccinating their children drew national attention, as well as a quick clarification from the governor’s press office that “there’s no question” that children should be vaccinated for measles. The issue as to whether to limit these exemptions could put Gov. Student vaccination rates by schools in NJ In order to avoid an outbreak like the one that occurred with measles in California this winter, these advocates want to change state law to make it harder for families to claim religious exemptions. Public-health advocates say this is a problem because the lower the vaccination rate in a given school or neighborhood, the higher the risk that a disease will spread. But an NJ Spotlight analysis of school statistics reveals that while a majority are in almost total compliance, there are hundreds of schools with high rates of religious exemptions. Critics of vaccine mandates often argue that these directives are unneeded, citing a statistic that only 1.7 percent of New Jersey schoolchildren claim religious exemptions from immunizations. ![]()
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