Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Appeals Court Rules That Kentucky Health Officials Were Within Power To Ban Vaccinated Student From School
NBC News: Kentucky Court Rules In Favor Of Health Department Over Teen Who Refused Chickenpox Vaccine
The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled that state health officials were within their power to ban a chickenpox-afflicted student from school, even at private institutions. A three-judge panel upheld a lower-court ruling that involved the Northern Kentucky Health Department and two Catholic schools in Boone County, about 25 miles south of Cincinnati. (Li, 7/1)
The Associated Press: Kentucky Students Lose Appeal In Chickenpox Vaccination Case
The health agency canceled extracurricular activities and later imposed a temporary ban on school attendance for unvaccinated students as the chickenpox outbreak spread. "The commonwealth has a compelling interest in taking limited and temporary steps to control an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease," the appeals court panel said last Friday. (Schreiner, 7/1)
In other news on vaccinations —
KCUR: Kansas Requires Students To Get Vaccines, Yet 15% Of Kindergartners Are Missing Shots
More than one in 10 kindergartners in Kansas in the 2017-2018 school year lacked at least some of the shots that the state requires to shield students against outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and more. The state’s most recent annual report pegged the figure at 15%. On paper at least, Kansas law requires children to get such vaccines to attend school. Yet school boards get to decide whether to enforce that, and some balk at turning children away. (Llopis-Jepsen, 7/1)
