Virginia Policy Review 67 Mandatory Vaccines: A Public Health Necessity By Jesse Zmick Nearly twenty years after the conclusion of a successful eradication campaign saw the United States free from the threat of Measles, outbreaks of this potentially deadly and debilitating virus once again began to dominate news headlines across the nation (CDC, 2019 and Gonzales, 2019). Despite the ready-availability of a proven vaccine, the burgeoning anti-vaccination movement made the nation vulnerable to a recurrence of these infections as demonstrated by the 2019 epidemic in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in New York City and neighboring Rockland County (Paris, 2019). On March 26th 2019, Edwin J. Day, the County Executive for Rockland County, issued an order barring unimmunized children from places of public assembly for thirty days or the duration of the outbreak (W.D. v. County of Rockland, 2019). Soon after, on April 9th 2019, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Doctor Oxiris Barbot, acting with the blessing of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, declared a public health emergency (C.F. v. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2020). He subsequently ordered that all unvaccinated individuals residing in the zip codes at the epicenter of the outbreak receive vaccinations “...barring a demonstrated immunity to Measles or a verifiable medical history that includes adverse reactions to immunizations...” (C.F. v. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2019). In both cases, residents who violated either order faced fines up to, and potentially in excess of, $2000 per infraction as well as possible jail time (Burm, 2019).
Figure 5: An example of the type of signs posted at places of public assembly by the Rockland County Health Department (Seth Wenig/AP)
