GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Chicken pox that’s popped up in a Jenison school is forcing unvaccinated children to stay home for 21 days.
The Ottawa County Department of Public Health issued an exclusion order Tuesday for all Kids First (ECC/El Puenta) students with vaccination waivers, saying the virus spreads very easily from infected people to others who have never had the disease or been vaccinated.
In a Thursday news release, the health department pointed out that the vaccination waiver parents signed included a warning that their child could miss 21 or more days of school if a vaccine preventable disease was suspected in their school.
“The OCDPH respects the rights of parents to make vaccination decisions on behalf of their children, but the OCDPH also carries the responsibility of taking actions that provide a balance so the rights of one do not adversely impact the rights and health of others. The importance of protecting the health of the community is what guides the health department's actions,” it stated in part.
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