#meningococcal sydney

[mattnicholls69]

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/meningococcal-kills-sydney-man-nsw-health-puts-out-alert/news-story/815fd449c88a1e719866425f66ccf1e7?dc_data=6587493_samsung-carnival-australia-english&utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=taboola_news&ui=eb7eb67a-c00b-4b85-89d8-337dea107138-tuct9e6c2c8

[virginiaprelawland]

Can Colleges and Universities Legally Require Student and Faculty Covid-19 Vaccination?

By Sydney Smiley, Virginia Commonwealth University Class of 2023

October 19, 2021

Due to COVID-19, many students were forced to quarantine and proceed with classes entirely online. The sole reason colleges and universities worldwide went to a virtual modality of learning was due to the risk of students’ health. After almost two years and multiple covid-19 vaccines later, schools are finally ready to welcome students back to campus. Most students have portrayed a readiness to return to in-person classes, while others have their reasonable concerns. Many colleges and universities are requiring students have the warp-speed vaccine, raising some concerns with legislatures, students, parents, and guardians. Rutgers University in New Jersey was the first educational institution to declare Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for students in late March [1]. The main concern regarding the vaccine requirements was how are colleges and universities able to force students to get the vaccine? And who is exempt from such vaccinations, if any?

People who support the vaccine, also known as ‘pro-vaxxers’, would argue that laws and policies are vital tools when working to prevent outbreaks and limit the spread of disease, but they vary in content and implementation. Legal infrastructure can give implementers mechanisms to address non-vaccinated individuals [2]. In universities, mandates and infrastructure influenced how universities could respond to outbreaks and the rate of vaccination. To fully understand how it is legal for universities to mandate the Covid-19 vaccination, we must go back to the very beginning of vaccine mandates. In Duffield v. School District of Williamsport (1894), the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld a school board’s requirement that children be vaccinated for smallpox before they were enrolled in the district. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court determined that the school board had the jurisdiction to require the vaccination as a way to “preserve the public health” [3]. Another major vaccination law was Cude v. State (1964), where the court upheld that parents have no legal right to prevent the vaccination of children when required to attend school, even if their objections are based on good faith or religious beliefs [4]. The early victories of school vaccination laws against most political, legal, and social challenges helped set the grounds for most modem immunization statutes. Since the introduction of smallpox vaccination policies in the mid-to-late 1800s, states have revised them to include additional diseases, such as Covid-19, as new vaccines become available. In other words, schools are permitted to mandate vaccines, however, the rules and content of those legislatures vary from state to state.

All states, as a contingency of school entry, now require proof of vaccination against several diseases on the immunization schedule (e.g., diphtheria, measles, rubella, and polio) subject to approval by state public health authorities [5]. These statutes often require schools to maintain immunization records and report information to public health authorities. States must make special requirements for higher educations because in those instances majority of the student body resides on-campus. In the District of Columbia, D.C. Immunization Law 3-20 requires that all students under the age of 27 who are enrolled in a postsecondary school of higher education (community college or university) are to submit proof of one meningococcal vaccine within the last five years for students living on-campus [6]. This law allows for medical exceptions, such as if one was allergic to a certain component in the vaccine, and religious exemptions, such as one’s religious beliefs forbids the use of vaccinations. However, in Virginia, the Code of Virginia § 23.1-800 requires each full-time student to be vaccinated against meningococcal disease and hepatitis B before enrollment in any baccalaureate public institution of higher education. This law provides for medical and religious exemptions, similar to the ones mentioned before. This legislation also permits students to refuse the required vaccine after observing the medical information on the hazards of the disease. It is important to note that the Code of Virginia § 23.1-801, regarding the educational programs on human immunodeficiency virus infection, states that each public institution of higher education, in cooperation with the Department of Health, shall develop and execute educational programs for college students on the cause, effects, and prevention of infection with human immunodeficiency virus [7]. In other words, every public institution of higher education, such as colleges and universities, is responsible for developing vaccination mandates and regulations for their students and faculty. According to the Code of Virginia § 22.1-271.2,  no student shall be admitted by a school unless at the time of admission the student or his parent presents proof of immunization to the school or unless the student is exempted from immunization or the child is homeless. If a student does not have documentary proof of immunization, the school shall notify the student or his parent that they have no documentary proof of immunization for the student unless the student is exempt [8].

School terms are not without dispute, however. Some parents and advocates claim that vaccine mandates trespass on a person's individual right to choose, especially if a parent is concerned that vaccines may harm their child. Many states have exemption laws to assist those who may object to such immunization orders. Although immunization requirements vary from state to state, all states allow exemptions for medical reasons, and all but five states (California, Maine, Mississippi, New York, and West Virginia) grant religious or philosophical exemptions for people who have sincerely held beliefs that prohibit immunizations [9]. Currently, 45 states and the District of Columbia have a religious exemption law and 15 of those states also have a philosophical exemption law. These laws allow parents to claim an exemption based on their personal, moral, or other beliefs.

People who oppose vaccinations, also known as anti-vaxxers, have argued for the disavowal of widespread institutional vaccination requirements, but have succeeded in carving out political and constitutionally-based medical, religious, and philosophical exceptions to these requirements. Their foundation is continually ignited by allegations (some accurate, some false) of the dangers of compulsory vaccination to certain individuals. These disputes, though complex and not easily resolved, will continue to shape future vaccination policy. Vaccinations may injure children in numbers, which are statistically insignificant but still representative of innocent lives impacted. While these trade-offs can never be entirely settled, school vaccination policies serve an important public health goal of reducing the pandemic of viruses. These benefits of a comprehensively vaccinated childhood population belong not only to the public's health but to each individual.

Upper-level institutions can utilize and amend their vaccine requirement policies and work with local and state health officials to prevent or slow the spread of outbreaks based on several types of legislation, specifically thanks to the famous Pennsylvania Supreme Court case Duffield v. School District of Williamsport and Cude v. State. Each state is responsible for its own rules and regulations regarding vaccinations, such as whether they allow for medical and religious exemptions.  

______________________________________________________________

[1] Smothers, H. (2021, April 22). Is it legal for colleges to require students to get the COVID vaccine? Is It Legal for Colleges to Require Students to Get the COVID Vaccine? Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/qj84qx/are-colleges-legally-allowed- to-require-students-get-the-covid-vaccine.

[2] Barraza, L., Reiss, D., & Freeman, P. (2019). Legal and policy responses to vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 47(S2), 11–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073110519857307

[3] Hodge, J., & Gostin, L. O. (2001). School vaccination requirements: Historical,

social, and legal perspectives. Kentucky Law Journal, 90(4), 831-890.

[4] Hodge, J., & Gostin, L. O.

[5] Hodge, J., & Gostin, L. O.

[6] Garcia, A., & Skinner, E. (2021, September 1). State Vaccine Requirements for College Entry. State vaccine requirements for college entry. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-vaccine-requirements-for-college-entry.aspx.

[7] Va. Code § 23.1-801

[8] Va. Code § 22.1-271.2

[9] Garcia, A., & Skinner, E. (2021, February 26). State Immunization Policy Overview. State immunization policy overview. Retrieved October 17, 2021, from https://www.ncsl.org/research/health/immunizations-policy-issues-overview.aspx.

[randybenedict]

Australian Academy of Science urges parents to vaccinate children against meningococcal disease

The Australian Academy of Science is urging parents to vaccinate their children against all strains of meningococcal disease, after a recent spike in cases in Adelaide and the death of a seven-year-old boy in south-west Sydney. from The Medical News https://ift.tt/2z8Jwy9

[jaeame-blog]

Qld braces for more floods, NSW cleans up | Rockhampton

Now 21, the restaurant worker has filed a sexual harassment claim against two colleagues and the Nando's franchise owners. Mother Tara Coverdale was asked to leave a playgroup because it was exclusively for "multicultural" mothers. A man has been charged with more than 30 offences including the alleged serious assault of a 76-year-old woman in her Rockhampton home before stealing items from the residence on Thursday, Queensland Police say. MENINGOCOCCAL struck Archie Roberts out of the blue and ravaged his tiny body so badly that his parents were told he would not survive.

IT FEELS like it's been going on almost as long as MKR, and now Married At First Sight finally comes to its dramatic conclusion. Josh Kennedy climbed from the canvas to underline his match-winning credentials on Saturday night, as West Coast survived an ambush from St Kilda at Domain Stadium. Search for local real estate online now.Titans player Konrad Hurrell takes the ball forward against the Sydney Roosters in round one. Residents in flood-devastated towns in northern NSW and south-east Queensland are moving into recovery mode as authorities shift their attention to Rockhampton.

But a video has captured the exact moment a miracle occurs. The last service will be JetGo at 12:20pm depending on conditions.The Fitzroy River in Rockhampton is expected to peak at 9.5 metres on Wednesday, which is bigger than the 2011 and 1991 floods and equal the 1954 flood. Central Queensland residents are preparing for the biggest flood to hit Rockhampton in 63 years, while southeast parts of the state begin mopping up. As Central Queensland residents prepare for the biggest flood in 63 years, authorities are warning NSW locals starting their clean up that the danger is not over yet.

[jaeame-blog]

Qld braces for more floods, NSW cleans up | Rockhampton

Josh Kennedy climbed from the canvas to underline his match-winning credentials on Saturday night, as West Coast survived an ambush from St Kilda at Domain Stadium. As Central Queensland residents prepare for the biggest flood in 63 years, authorities are warning NSW locals starting their clean up that the danger is not over yet. Search for local real estate online now. A man has been charged with more than 30 offences including the alleged serious assault of a 76-year-old woman in her Rockhampton home before stealing items from the residence on Thursday, Queensland Police say.

MENINGOCOCCAL struck Archie Roberts out of the blue and ravaged his tiny body so badly that his parents were told he would not survive. Related Items 'It's time to crack down on stay-at-home mums'. Local Real Estate. IT FEELS like it's been going on almost as long as MKR, and now Married At First Sight finally comes to its dramatic conclusion.Residents in flood-devastated towns in northern NSW and south-east Queensland are moving into recovery mode as authorities shift their attention to Rockhampton. The Fitzroy River in Rockhampton is expected to peak at 9.5 metres on Wednesday, which is bigger than the 2011 and 1991 floods and equal the 1954 flood.

But a video has captured the exact moment a miracle occurs. Titans player Konrad Hurrell takes the ball forward against the Sydney Roosters in round one.The last service will be JetGo at 12:20pm depending on conditions. Now 21, the restaurant worker has filed a sexual harassment claim against two colleagues and the Nando's franchise owners. Central Queensland residents are preparing for the biggest flood to hit Rockhampton in 63 years, while southeast parts of the state begin mopping up.