Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Monday, September 22, 2014
(INDIANAPOLIS-AP) - More Indiana students are being granted exemptions from vaccine requirements, but health officials say they don’t have an accurate count because many parents won’t let their child’s immunization status be reported.
The Indiana State Department of Health reports 233 medical exemptions were granted for kindergartners for the 2013-14 school year. Another 456 children received religious exemptions.
Dana Greenwood is chief nurse consultant for the health department's immunization division. She tells The Journal Gazette that some data are lacking because cash-strapped schools can't afford nurses to review each child's immunization record every year.
The number of students surveyed about vaccinations also has fallen.
Greenwood says Indiana's exemptions account for about 1 percent of all children and aren't a huge cause of concern.
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