University Of California System Will Require Measles Vaccinations For Incoming Students

From the LA Times:

“The University of California will require incoming students to be screened for tuberculosis and vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, meningococcus, tetanus and whooping cough, under a plan set to take effect in 2017,” the UC said in a statement. “Currently, the UC system only requires students to be vaccinated against hepatitis B, though several campuses have additional requirements.”

It will be interesting to see if the recent outbreaks prompt other institutions to adopt stricter vaccination policies. This change has purportedly been in the works for a while, however. Perhaps UC officials were aware of the fact that some of the largest un-vaccinated communities are in California.

Public health shouldn’t be held hostage by some wealthy, kombucha tea-swilling bored hippie housewives. We can’t outlaw hippies (At least I don’t think we can-has it ever been tried?) but we can vaccinate against them.