CCIC Provider Education: The Health and Economic Impact of Non-Medical Vaccine Exemptions
Melanie D. Whittington, PhD, is a health services researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. In a study published in Academic Pediatrics, Dr. Whittington and colleagues used mathematical modeling to simulate the magnitude, likelihood and cost of a measles outbreak under varying levels of non-medical vaccine exemption policies. Colorado, a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates for measles and most lenient non-medical vaccine exemption policies, remains at greater risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. At this event, Dr. Whittington discussed the results of her study and the potential impact of strengthening non-medical exemption policies. This educational seminar was presented for healthcare providers, policy makers, educators, parents, and researchers interested in immunization policy, administration and public health.
At the conclusion of this seminar, participants were be able to:
- Describe easy, medium and difficult vaccine exemption policies
- Understand how vaccine exemption difficulty correlates to likelihood of outbreak
- Discuss how strengthening non-medical vaccine exemption policies improves downstream health and has deep economic impacts
