NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The number of measles cases continues to climb across the country and Nashville's Metro Public Health Department is throwing its support behind an effort that would limit exemptions from vaccinations among young children.
The Board, which represents Nashville and Davidson County, says the problem comes down to parents using religious exemptions as a way to avoid vaccinating their children.
On June 13th, the Board of Health passed a resolution that urges state leaders to either reduce or fully eliminate the religious exemption in Tennessee.
“The most recent survey of vaccination rates for 24-month-olds in Davidson County indicates an increase compared to prior years in the percentage of sampled parents who are choosing for non-medical reasons not to immunize their children,” reads a portion of the resolution.
"The way that we're set up now, you don't have to show any proof of that, you just say 'well, it's against my religion,’” says Brian Todd, spokesperson for the Metro Public Health Department.
The resolution doesn’t mean any change will happen in Davidson County. Instead, it is meant to show the state the Board would support the change if it was made.
"We know 300 people die every day, worldwide, from measles,” says Todd. “That can be prevented with a vaccine."
In May, Tennessee reported five cases of measles. It’s by far one of the lowest counts in the current fight against the deadly disease. The latest count from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows there are 1,044 measles cases in the United States. It’s the highest number of cases since 1992.
Just last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed legislation that required all school children to be vaccinated, even if parents have religious objections.
New York became the fifth state to ban religious exemptions after serving as the epicenter of the recent measles outbreak. Out of the 1,044 cases in the U.S., more than 800 have been in New York.