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Since
religious/philosophic exemptions from immunizations endanger not only the
health of the unvaccinated individual, but also the health of those in his
or her group and the community at large, the AMA (1) encourages state
medical associations to seek removal of such exemptions in statutes
requiring mandatory immunizations; (2) encourages physicians and state and
local medical associations to work with public health officials to inform
religious groups and others who object to immunizations of the benefits of
vaccinations and the risk to their own health and that of the general
public if they refuse to accept them; and (3) encourages state and local medical
associations to work with public health officials to develop contingency
plans for controlling outbreaks in exempt populations and to intensify
efforts to achieve high immunization
rates in communities where groups having religious exemptions from immunizations
reside. (CSA Rep. B, A-87; Reaffirmed: Sunset Report, I-97)
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