As students prepare for a new school year, a national discussion around vaccines and school requirements is underway. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Monday aims to reduce the number of vaccinations recommended for children, but it does not change the authority of states to set and enforce vaccine requirements.

State Authority

States have the power to set their own vaccine policies, and many are reviewing the executive order. The state of Texas has stated that the order does not require any changes at the state level, with the state health department saying, “Federal recommendations do not change the requirements in Texas.”

Other states, such as Maine, have also committed to science-based vaccine policies. Dr. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “Vaccines are our most effective defense against vaccine-preventable illnesses.”

Vaccine Exemptions

All 50 states have laws requiring certain vaccines for students to attend school, and all allow exemptions for medical reasons. Many states also allow exemptions for non-medical reasons, such as religious or personal beliefs. However, some states, like California and New York, do not allow non-medical exemptions.

The executive order emphasizes the administration’s aim to “maximize parental choices over vaccinations for their children,” and notes that states should provide religious and medical exemptions to vaccine requirements.

Public health experts say that building trust in the safety and effectiveness of vaccines is key to reversing the decline in childhood immunization rates. Dr. William Moss, an associate professor with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, has said, “If more and more parents choose not to vaccinate their children for non-medical reasons, we will no doubt see a rise in disease outbreaks.”

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.