Since California tightened its childhood vaccination laws in 2016, public health officials across the country have been closely watching for signs of success in bolstering vaccination rates.
A study published Monday offers an answer. In a brief in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that the strict law will have only a “modest” impact in increasing vaccination rates by 2027.
Supporters of the law, known as SB 277, contested the findings, pointing out that the law has already pushed up the state’s kindergarten vaccination rate to never-before-seen levels. SB 277 barred parents from citing their personal beliefs as a reason for not vaccinating their children and made California the third state in the nation to allow children to skip their shots only if they had a medical reason to do so.
Using state vaccination data, researchers projected that under SB 277, the percentage of children who would remain unvaccinated in 2027 because they are exempt from the law will be 1.87%. Without the law, researchers found, the percentage of kids exempt from vaccination requirements would have been 2.36%.
Read the full story at LATimes.com.