UC requires immunizations to register
The University of California passed a policy that would make it mandatory for all students enrolling in 2017, to have their immunization shots, or their registration will be suspended. Documentation of this must be shown before students are allowed to attend classes at these universities.
The resent outbreak of measles has bought an awareness of immunization and vaccines to Southern California as well as the entire country. The University of California is now making steps to stay ahead of the issue. The mandatory immunizations will be done in three phases.
“Immunizations save lives and I respect any organizations’ requirements,” Charleton Aguirre, 23, astrophysics, said. “Since you are not required to attend Saddleback, I feel it’s not that out of line for them to ask for such things.”
This policy was put in place to give all universities in the UC system a baseline on immunizations. Each university can make their own policy as long as they hit the minimum requirements. They would also be able to speed up the process and start the mandatory immunizations earlier than 2017.
The immunizations that will be required in 2017 are: hepatitis B, TB screening, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal, varicella (chicken pox), tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough).
The three phases start with awareness and end with the application and implementation of these new policies.
This policy is news to many university students.
Those who know are displeased that there’s going to be a pretty big list of vaccines that will be required to be taken, mostly due to the cost,” Spiros Antzoulators, a UC Davis student, said.
The required immunizations for the UC system are covered by the Affordable Care Act, according to HHS.gov.
Some students at these universities already get some immunizations.” I always get my vaccines every year before I start school,” Antzoulators said. “I don’t want to risk my health or the health of others.”
California State University, Fullerton, also has requirements dealing with immunizations, but they are not nearly as extensive, according to the CSUF’s Student Health and Counseling Center Students are required documentation of immunizations on hepatitis B, measles and rubella.
These documents are not required until a student’s second semester and they will not be able to register for those classes until documentation has been shown.
