School vaccine mandates

Introduction
Early history of vaccines
National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act and Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
Andrew Wakefield and the autism controversy
Thimerosal and autism
COVID-19 vaccine
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Trump Administration
Potential consequences for unvaccinated children and their parents
Eradication and elimination of disease
Pros
- Pro 1: Vaccine-preventable diseases have not disappeared, so mandated vaccination is still necessary.
- Pro 2: Vaccine mandates ensure the “herd” is protected.
- Pro 3: Vaccine mandates save children, parents, and society time and money.
Cons
- Con 1: Vaccine mandates infringe upon constitutionally protected rights.
- Con 2: Counseling, not mandates, is the more effective way to ensure vaccine-hesitant parents vaccinate their children.
- Con 3: The government should not intervene in personal medical choices.
Vaccinations required by U.S. public schools
- DTaP: Diphtheria, Tetanus, & Pertussis
- IPV: Polio
- Varicella: Chickenpox
- MMR: Measles, Mumps, & Rubella
- HepB: Hepatitis B
- HepA: Hepatitis A
- HPV: Human Papillomavirus
- Meningococcal: Neisseria meningitidis infections
State vaccination exemptions for children entering public schools
Vaccine ingredients and manufacturer information
- Adenovirus
  - Adenovirus Type 4 and Type 7 Vaccine, Live, Oral
- Anthrax
  - Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed
- BCG
  - BCG Vaccine
  - BCG Live
- Cholera
  - Cholera Vaccine Live Oral
- COVID-19
  - COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA
- Dengue
  - Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine, Live
- DT
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids Adsorbed
- DTaP
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoids & Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoids & Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed
- DTap-HepB-IPV
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoids & Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed, Hepatitis B (recombinant) and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine Combined
- DTaP-IPV
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine
- DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed, Inactivated Poliovirus, Haemophilus b Conjugate [Meningococcal Protein Conjugate] and Hepatitis B [Recombinant] Vaccine
- DTaP-IPV-Hib
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed, Inactivated Poliovirus and Haemophilus b Conjugate (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate) Vaccine
- Ebola
  - Ebola Zaire Vaccine, Live
- Hib
  - Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Meningococcal Protein Conjugate)
  - Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate)
  - Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate)
- Hep A
  - Hepatitis A Vaccine, Inactivated
  - Hepatitis A Vaccine, Inactivated
- Hep A & Hep B
  - Hepatitis A Inactivated and Hepatitis B (Recombinant) Vaccine
- Hep B
  - Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant)
  - Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant)
  - Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted
- HPV
  - Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Vaccine, Recombinant
  - Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant
  - Human Papillomavirus Bivalent (Types 16, 18) Vaccine, Recombinant
- Influenza A (H1N1)
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
- Influenza A (H5N1)
  - Influenza Virus Vaccine, H5N1 (for National Stockpile)
  - Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Monovalent Vaccine, Adjuvanted
  - Influenza A (H5N1) Monovalent Vaccine, Adjuvanted
- Influenza A (H5N1)
  - Ebola Zaire Vaccine, Live
- Japanese encephalitis
  - Japanese Encephalitis Virus Vaccine, Inactivated, Adsorbed
- MMR
  - Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live
- MMR and Varicella
  - Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella Virus Vaccine Live
- Meningococcal
  - Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y, and W-135) Oligosaccharide Diphtheria CRM197 Conjugate Vaccine
  - Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y and W-135) Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine
  - Meningococcal Group B Vaccine
  - Meningococcal Group B Vaccine
  - Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine, Groups A, C, Y and W-135 Combined
  - Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y, W) Conjugate Vaccine
- Pneumococcal
  - Pneumococcal Vaccine, Polyvalent
  - Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine (Diphtheria CRM197 Protein)
  - Pneumococcal 15-valent Conjugate Vaccine
  - Pneumococcal 20-valent Conjugate Vaccine
- Polio
  - Poliovirus Vaccine Inactivated (Monkey Kidney Cell)
- Rabies
  - Rabies Vaccine
  - Rabies Vaccine
- Rotavirus
  - Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral
  - Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral, Pentavalent
- Smallpox & mpox/monkeypox
  - Smallpox and Mpox/Monkeypox Vaccine, Live, Non-Replicating
- Smallpox
  - Smallpox (Vaccinia) Vaccine, Live
- TD
  - Tetanus & Diphtheria Toxoids, Adsorbed
  - Tetanus & Diphtheria Toxoids Adsorbed for Adult Use
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoid Adsorbed
- Tdap
  - Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed
  - Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed
- Tick-borne encephalitis
  - Tick-Borne Encephalitis Vaccine
- Typhoid
  - Typhoid Vaccine Live Oral Ty21a
  - Typhoid Vaccine Live Oral TTyphoid Vi Polysaccharide Vacciney21a
- Varicella
  - Varicella Virus Vaccine Live
- Yellow Fever
  - Yellow Fever Vaccine
- Zoster
  - Zoster Vaccine, Live, (Oka/Merck)
  - Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted
- Glossary
Vaccine histories and impact
- DTaP: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
  - Diphtheria
  - Tetanus (lockjaw)
  - Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Hib
- Measles, mumps, and rubella
  - Measles
  - Mumps
  - Rubella (German measles)
- Polio
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Assessment quiz
1-minute survey
Discussion questions
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

School vaccine mandates

Infographic showing estimated lives saved by childhood vaccinations worldwide from 1974 to 2024, with syringe-shaped bars for each disease. Measles tops the list at 93.71 million lives saved, followed by tetanus, whooping cough, and others, for a total of 153.84 million lives saved.

Painting of George Washington and officers in winter coats at a snowy Revolutionary War encampment, with Continental Army soldiers huddled around a fire.

The History of the Polio Vaccine

A healthcare worker wearing gloves disinfects the upper arm of a teenage girl in a clinic setting, preparing her for a vaccination. Other people are seated in the background.

Vaccine Development.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wearing a dark suit and green patterned tie, seated indoors with a microphone clipped to his lapel.

A health worker wearing a blue surgical mask holds up a vial of CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine, with the vaccine label visible in the foreground.

School vaccine mandates: Media

Should vaccines be required for school attendance?

Videos

Painting of George Washington and officers in winter coats at a snowy Revolutionary War encampment, with Continental Army soldiers huddled around a fire.

Smallpox and the American Revolution

How smallpox inoculation helped win the American Revolution.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The History of the Polio Vaccine

The History of the Polio Vaccine

Jonas Salk and his team developed the IPV polio vaccine.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Vaccine Development.

Vaccine Development.

Discover how vaccines are developed and how they prevent disease.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Images

School vaccine mandates

School vaccine mandates

Should states be allowed to mandate vaccines for school attendance?

© Sirirat Makprasert/stock.adobe.com

Infographic showing estimated lives saved by childhood vaccinations worldwide from 1974 to 2024, with syringe-shaped bars for each disease. Measles tops the list at 93.71 million lives saved, followed by tetanus, whooping cough, and others, for a total of 153.84 million lives saved.

Vaccine benefits

Estimate of lives saved by childhood vaccinations, 1974-2024.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

James Madison

James Madison

Pres. James Madison signed a law creating the National Vaccine Agency.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., (object no. NPG.68.50)

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur

French Chemist Louis Pasteur created the first lab-created vaccine, which was for...

National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland

A healthcare worker wearing gloves disinfects the upper arm of a teenage girl in a clinic setting, preparing her for a vaccination. Other people are seated in the background.

School vaccines

Should states be allowed to mandate vaccines for school attendance?

© Jose Luis Pelaez Inc—DigitalVision/Getty Images

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wearing a dark suit and green patterned tie, seated indoors with a microphone clipped to his lapel.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has expressed skepticism about several...

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

A health worker wearing a blue surgical mask holds up a vial of CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine, with the vaccine label visible in the foreground.

The Covid-19 vaccine.

A health worker prepares a CoronaVac vaccine against COVID-19 during an immunization...

© Rodrigo Paiva/Getty Images

Corynebacterium diphtheriae (causes diphtheria).

Corynebacterium diphtheriae (causes diphtheria).

An acute infectious disease caused by the bacillus bacteria.

© Kwangshin Kim/Science Source

Illustration of Clostridium tetani bacteria showing rod-shaped cells with round red spores at one end, scattered on a pale background.

Clostridium Tetani Bacteria.

Clostridium tetani bacteria cause tetanus. Tetanus develops as a result of the contamination...

© KATERYNA KON—Science Photo Library/Getty Images

Bordatella Pertussis

Bordatella Pertussis

Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, isolated and...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Image Number: 2121)

Hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B.

Colorized microscopic image of hepatitis B virus particles (teal).

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Photomicrograph showing numerous pink rod-shaped Haemophilus influenzae type b bacteria stained with Gram stain, with blue areas in the background.

Hib.

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Photomicrograph of Haemophilus influenzae as...

© Smith Collection—Gado/Getty Images

Transmission electron micrograph showing a single measles virus particle, or virion, appearing as a textured, oval-shaped structure in purple against a tan background.

Measles.

TEM of a single measles virus particle or virion.

© Callista Images—Image Source/Getty Images

Mumps virus.

Mumps virus.

Enhanced transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of the mumps virus (Myxovirus parotidis).

© James Cavallini/Science Source

Rubella virus.

Rubella virus.

Negatively-stained transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of Rubella virus particles...

© AMI Images/Science Source

Polio virus, cause of poliomyelitis.

Polio virus, cause of poliomyelitis.

Colored transmission electron micrograph (TEM). Polio virus is a human enterovirus...

© Dennis Kunkel Microscopy/Science Source

Varicella zoster virus (also known as human herpes virus - HHV 3), varicella (aka chickenpox) and shingles virus

Varicella zoster virus (also known as human herpes virus - HHV 3), varicella (aka chickenpox) and shingles virus

View made from a transmission electron micrograph.

© James Cavallini/Science Source

Interactives

Measles Cases in the U.S.

Measles Cases in the U.S.

An interactive line chart showing reported measles cases in the United States from...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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