Local non-vaccinated numbers growing
By EMILY BENNETT dilullo
ebennett@yourmvi.com
More parents than ever are choosing to not vaccinate their children because of medical, religious or philosophical reasons in Western Pennsylvania.
The data, tracked annually by the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Safe Schools database and by way of the Pennsylvania School Immunization Law Report (SILR), showed that for the 2017-18 school year, most counties in Pennsylvania either saw increases in the number of unvaccinated children or the percentage of those exempt from vaccination stayed the same.
The report chronicles the immunization status of students in kindergarten through seventh grade in public or private schools throughout the state. A child may have more than one exemption, such as medical and religious. Home schooled children report to the school district they live in and are required to follow the same requirements as children attending school.
Allegheny, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties all saw increases in exemptions based on religious beliefs, while Westmoreland and Allegheny counties saw slight decreases in philosophical exemptions and medical exemptions.
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