Measles, mumps, and rubella — oh my! These are just a fraction of infections that children and teens are required to receive immunizations against in order to attend public school and camps.

Donna Culbert, health district director for Newtown, Bridgewater, and Roxbury, says that when it comes to vaccinations, the town of Newtown adheres to the policies set in place by the state of Connecticut, which requires all children and staff members to be vaccinated.

“The difference between public and private is that municipal/school camps are exempt from [the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood] licensing,” Culbert said. “However, the requirements are the same: Campers and staff need to have a physical, which is good for three years, and immunization records on file, as required by the schools, for anyone still in school.”

According to the Connecticut General Assembly, Chapter 169: School Health and Sanitation states that children of school age must “be protected by adequate immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella, hemophilus influenzae type B, and any other vaccine required by the schedule for active immunization adopted pursuant to section 19a-7f before being permitted to enroll in any program operated by a public or nonpublic school under its jurisdiction.”

The section later acknowledges that a certificate can be presented by a physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse stating if, in their opinion, immunization is medically contraindicated because of the physical condition of the child. Consideration is also given when the parent or guardian of a child states immunization would be contrary to their religious beliefs.

In addition to vaccinations being necessary for attending public camp, Culbert says, “Overall, vaccination saves thousands of lives every year; they prevent disease in the vaccinee and also provide protection to others.”

She added, “Our current lifestyle includes activities in which we interact with many people, and it is responsible for us to consider the health of those around us, as well as our own.”

Recent Outbreaks

The Connecticut Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Immunization Program released a letter in the Spring of 2019 to all camp sponsors/directors to raise awareness about the ongoing measles outbreak in the United States.

After collecting data throughout the entire year, the CDC reported, “From January 1 to December 31, 2019, 1,282 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 31 states. Of these cases, 128 were hospitalized and 61 reported having complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis.”

Connecticut was among those 31 states reporting cases of measles.

The number of measles cases across the country has skyrocketed over the last decade, with just 63 cases reported in 2010.

Some countries have experienced deadly outbreaks in recent years including Samoa, a small island nation between Hawaii and New Zealand, where a measles epidemic began last September and caused a six-week state of emergency. As of December 29, 2019, the country’s government lifted its state of emergency after 5,267 cases were reported and 81 people (many of them children under 5 years old) died from measles.

The CDC attributes two reasons for the spread of measles being “an increase in the number of travelers who get measles abroad and bring it into the US, and/or further spread of measles in US communities with pockets of unvaccinated people.”

Similarly, other vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States such as mumps, rubella, pertussis, and varicella (chickenpox) are spread by direct contact or coughing and sneezing.

With many people sharing tight quarters and interacting with large groups of people at camp, the settings allows for these diseases to be spread rapidly.

Robert B. Golenbock, MD, a local pediatrician at the Center for Pediatric Medicine, says there are a number of illnesses that children at camp are at risk for, including pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, measles, and meningococcal meningitis.

“This last illness seems to appear more commonly in young people in bunks, barracks, and dorms, and is frequently fatal,” Dr Golenbock said. “…the state legislature is deciding whether to remove the exemptions for vaccination. Right now, children who claim exemption may attend camp but will be removed if an illness breaks out and they are unwilling to be protected by immunization for that illness.”

“Unfortunately,” he added, “meningococcal disease is fatal in as little as 24 hours. My preference would be to have everyone immunized.”

Private Camps

Laura Nowacki, MD, owner of Newtown Center Pediatrics since 1999, also advocates about the importance of immunizations. She spends time each day updating parents through social media on illnesses in our community and educates people about vaccines, behavioral health, and safety topics.

“When I began my career working my way through medical school as a PA in 1999, I was doing spinal taps all the time, seeing meningitis all the time . . . now that we have the PRevnar and HIB vaccines, we have drastically reduced the fatalities and even morbidities of those diseases,” Dr Nowacki said.

While many medical achievements have been developed over the years, there are still those who feel the benefits do not outweigh their choice to not vaccinate their child.

As a pediatrician and a mother of four children herself, Dr Nowacki’s mission is to prevent illness and help parents understand the science behind vaccination schedules and present the evidence supporting it.

“It is complex, but at every visit we go over the risk/benefits and side effects of everything we do,” she said of her practice. “The one-in-a-million chance of anaphylaxis vs the one-in-a-thousand chance of death from measles, for example. I debunk the myths and fears with data collected by the CDC from millions and millions of children having gotten these vaccines.”

While much is required of campers in terms of vaccinations for public camps, Dr Nowacki notes that private camps are a different story.

“Private camps may not require the same as public, same as in school system, but risks for contracting diseases [are the] same . . . close quarters increase risks regardless,” she explained.

“Unfortunately, parents may not realize that private camps may not have [the] same vaccine requirements . . .” Dr Nowacki added, “This can put their children at an increased risk in an outbreak situation.”

For parents and guardians looking to enroll their children in camp this summer, be sure to ask what the camp policy is for required vaccinations and talk to a pediatrician to make an informed decision.

To learn more about Connecticut’s policy on required immunizations, visit cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_169.htm#sec_10-204.