Study Shows Vaccination Rates Not High Despite Requirement

The Los Angeles Times (5/8, Maugh) reports in its "Booster Shots" blog that according to a study in the journal Pediatrics, "states that require vaccination for pertussis, meningitis and tetanus for admission to middle school have a higher vaccination rate than states that do not, but the rate is not nearly as high as one might expect from such a requirement." Furthermore, "States that required only that educational materials be sent home for those vaccines and the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine showed no improvement in vaccination rates."