Background: Each year, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society publishes a “Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule.” Practicing pediatricians across North America consider this the standard of care, and indeed the context in which they practice. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has established vaccine standards for adults.
Given the overriding Jewish value that puts a premium on maintaining health, including taking preventive measures, along with the clear public health based need to protect the community as a whole, we are requiring that all children, staff, faculty, and their families planning to attend our Religious School programs must be immunized in the manner below.
Case Statement:
Parents send their children to Religious School and assume that their children will enjoy themselves, have positive social interactions, learn from the rich Jewish environment and be safe and healthy. Safety and public health are priorities for our synagogue. The vaccination of all members of the community is essential in order to maintain a safe environment and decrease the risk of transmission of preventable illnesses. The establishment of a safe environment must therefore include the requirement that all members of the Or Chadash community be adequately immunized against all of the preventable diseases as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. While parents may choose to defer the vaccination of their children, for Or Chadash this is not an issue of individual rights and choice, but an issue of public health and policy. The routine vaccination of all children, staff and faculty is an important public health matter especially in the confined environment of a school, with some vulnerable populations present.
Policy Statement:
ALL THOSE WHO ARE IN ENROLLED IN RELIGIOUS SCHOOL are required to have age-appropriate vaccines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), with the exceptions noted.
• DTaP, DT, Td, or Tdap (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis)
• Tdap vaccine is now required for children over age 11
• IPV (Poliovirus)
• HIB (Haemophilus influenza type b bacteria)
• PCV 13 (Pneumococcal) vaccine
• Rotavirus vaccine
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis A- strongly recommended
• MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) or serologic evidence of immunity. Adults born before 1957 are assumed to be immune to measles
• Varicella vaccine (Varivax – for Chicken Pox), or serologic or historical evidence of immunity
• Menactra (Meningococcal disease / Meningitis) – required for those age 11 and older
Or Chadash strongly recommends the administration of the Hepatitis A vaccine according to the standard AAP/CDC vaccine schedule. Please consult with your doctor about the recommended AAP/CDC schedule for the Hepatitis A vaccine.
Due to recent outbreaks of Pertussis and to the possibility that immunity may deteriorate over time, we are strongly recommending the Tdap booster for those 7 and over who need a Tetanus containing booster and who have not already had one Tdap.
As there have been a large number of flu cases this season, largely due to Influenza Flu A Virus, we strongly recommend that everyone receive a flu vaccine.
Or Chadash makes the following exception:
• Gardasil or Cervarix (HPV vaccine): though recommended by the AAP and CDC, it is not a required vaccine, so and we are not in a position to mandate its use.
Policy Exceptions: We recognize that individuals, who have had a documented allergy or severe adverse reaction to a particular vaccine, will not be able to receive further doses of that individual vaccine. In addition, individuals with medical conditions such as congenital immunodeficiency or HIV, malignancies receiving chemotherapy, transplant patients, and persons receiving immunosuppressive drugs and chronic steroids, will not be able to receive certain vaccines. In these instances, a physician documenting the problem and exempting the child from further doses of that specific vaccine must be furnished to the synagogue. In addition, if an individual or his/her family believes that a specific situation poses extenuating circumstances, and furnishes a letter from a medical doctor (MD) substantiating this contention, the synagogue will review such situations on a case-by-case basis.
