Marsha Augustin SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Governor Cuomo recently signed a bill into law eliminating religious exemptions from vaccinations for school kids.
With these tougher vaccinations laws in place, parents who do not believe in vaccinations are consulting with physicians who will provide them with unjustified medical exemptions for their child.
Dr. Jana Shaw, Associate Professor with pediatrics at Golisano Children’s Hospital says, parents who did not want to vaccinate would find a provider that would issue false medical reasons as to why their child could not get vaccinated.”
Shaw says cases have tripled in California where doctors are providing false exemptions to vaccinations since this law came into place and so it has alerted health professionals here in Onondaga County to combat doctors from doing this.
“We are watching carefully here in New York state specifically in Onondaga County to make sure that doesn’t happen here and that providers are well aware and knowledgeable about medical counter education and understand they will be held accountable,” Shaw said.
Health professionals in Central New York have teamed up with the American Academy of Pediatrics to diligently educate providers on true medical reasons for exemptions and not just exemptions to accommodate parents who are anti vaccinations.
Shaw says they will monitor this situation closely here in our area when the school year begins in September.
