Vaccination Laws

Vaccine-preventable disease levels are at or near record lows. CDC works closely with public health agencies and private partners to improve and sustain immunization coverage and to monitor the safety of vaccines. One tool used to maintain low rates of vaccine preventable disease is vaccination law. State vaccination laws include vaccination requirements for children in public and private schools and daycare settings, college/university students, and healthcare workers and patients in certain facilities. State laws also affect access to vaccination services by determining whether providing vaccinations to patients is within the scope of practice of certain healthcare professionals. The Public Health Law Program provides selected resources for public health practitioners and their legal counsel on state vaccination laws.

State Healthcare Worker and Patient Vaccination Laws

Healthcare facilities across the country are increasingly requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated for certain diseases in an effort to reduce outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. In some instances, facilities are establishing these requirements due to mandates in state statutes and regulations. These PHLP menus examine state healthcare facility vaccination laws for the following vaccine-preventable diseases:

• Hepatitis B
  • Menu of State Healthcare Facility Hepatitis B Vaccination Laws
• Influenza
  • Menu of State Ambulatory Care Facility Influenza Vaccination Laws
  • Menu of State Hospital  Influenza Vaccination Laws [PDF – 758 KB]
  • Menu of State Long-Term Care Facility Influenza Vaccination Laws
• Pertussis
  • Menu of State Healthcare Facility Pertussis Vaccination Laws [PDF – 368 KB]
• Pneumococcal disease
  • Menu of State Ambulatory Care Facility Pneumococcal Vaccination Laws
  • Menu of State Hospital Pneumococcal Vaccination Laws [PDF – 308 KB]
  • Menu of State Long-Term Care Facility Pneumococcal Vaccination Laws
• Varicella
  • Menu of State Healthcare Facility Varicella Vaccination Laws [PDF – 390 KB]

State School and Childcare Vaccination Laws

All states require children to be vaccinated against certain communicable diseases as a condition for school attendance. In most instances, state school vaccination laws expressly apply to both public schools and private schools with identical immunization and exemption provisions. All states also establish vaccination requirements for children as a condition for child care attendance. These requirements often mirror the requirements for public school children and are often located in the same school vaccination provisions. The Public Health Law Program provides selected resources for public health practitioners and their legal counsel on state school vaccination laws.

Webinar

The Intersection of Public Health and Healthcare: Exploring Trends in Healthcare Quality and the Law, Part II—Ensuring Safety: Healthcare Worker Vaccinations and the Law
Healthcare facilities across the country are increasingly requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated for certain vaccine-preventable diseases to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks or transmission. In some instances, facilities establish these requirements under mandates set forth by state statutes or regulations. This webinar describes how healthcare worker vaccinations can be a legal tool for reducing healthcare-associated infections and outlines statutory and regulatory strategies states have used to improve healthcare worker vaccination rates. This webinar also discusses barriers for healthcare worker vaccination requirements and considerations for legal counsel. (Sept. 6, 2016)