California governor signs bill to limit vaccine exemptions for children.

ABC World News (6/30, story 5, 1:25, Robach, 5.84M) reported that California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) “signed into law one of the toughest vaccine bills in the country” Monday, requiring all children attending school to be “fully vaccinated unless they have a medical reason not to be.” Parents will no longer be able to “opt out based on personal or religious beliefs.” Pediatrician Richard Besser, MD, explained that because “no vaccine gives 100 percent protection,” one must rely on “being around other children who are also vaccinated” to avoid and outbreak.

The New York Times (7/1, A19, Nagourney, Subscription Publication) reports that the bill was “passed by a significant margins in the State Legislature.” Despite “overwhelming evidence that vaccines are an essential public health measure,” the state has seen the number of unvaccinated children rise due to the ease parents can obtain personal and religious exemptions.

The Los Angeles Times (7/1, Willon, Mason) reports in “PolitiCal” that the new law could “affect more than 80,000 California students who annually claim personal belief exemptions.” Starting July 1, 2016, newly enrolled children in daycare or school will need to be immunized, unless they have a medical waiver. Children in nursery or preschool will need to comply by kindergarten, and elementary school students must do so by seventh grade. Students in high school and junior high are exempt.

Referring to California as “ground zero for the Disney measles outbreak,” USA Today (7/1, Szabo) quotes Gov. Brown, who said, “The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases.”

Article from AMA Morning Rounds, 7-1-15.