U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., continues to champion a proposal to vaccinate all non-medically exempted public school children across the nation.
Last week, Wilson brought back her “Vaccinate All Children Act” which “would disallow states from offering non-medical exemptions for meeting school vaccine requirements.” Under Wilson’s proposal, “children for whom immunization is medically safe would be required to be vaccinated in accordance with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.” Wilson championed a similar proposal back in 2015.
Wilson weighed in on her new bill on Tuesday.
“The health and safety of children must be our top priority. Vaccines play an important role in keeping all children safe, especially those with compromised immune systems who rely on herd immunity to safeguard against potentially deadly viruses,” said Wilson.
“Research has shown that vaccination is an effective and necessary tool to guard against the spread of viruses. One dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is about 93 percent effective at preventing measles, while two doses are 97 percent effective,” Wilson’s office insisted. “The risks associated with vaccination are often exaggerated and based on discredited or unscientific understandings of vaccines. The popular theory that vaccines cause autism, for example, has been debunked by the medical community and no such link has ever been proven. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of confirmed measles cases has reached a 25-year high at 764. The Sun-Sentinel has reported that two cases have been confirmed in Florida, one of which was linked to Broward County.”
Wilson pointed to cases of measles currently impacting much of the country.
“The ongoing measles outbreak, which has spread to 23 states, is a national health crisis that requires a national solution. We must allow science and fact-based research to guide us in making the right decision for our communities and our children,” said Wilson on Tuesday.
Wilson has her work cut off for her to get her bill over the finish line as she does not have any cosponsors and there currently is no version of the legislation over in the U.S. Senate. The bill was sent to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Friday.
After serving in both chambers of the Florida Legislature, Wilson won an open congressional seat in 2010 and has easily retained it since then in a very secure district for the Democrats. Earlier this year, Wilson took over as chairwoman of the U.S. House Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee, under the umbrella of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor.
Kevin Derby can be reached at Kevin.Derby@floridadaily.com.
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