LANSING, MI (AP)-- New legislation would require Michigan schools and daycare providers to post their immunization rates online or in their building.
Senator Curtis Hertel, Jr. says his bills introduced Thursday would keep parents better informed about vaccinations after recent outbreaks of whooping cough and measles cases.
Michigan has one of the country's highest rates of kindergartners exempted from at least one vaccine for medical, philosophical or religious reasons.
Hertel, a Democrat from East Lansing, says making immunization rates more readily available would be a "major weapon" helping parents to safeguard their children, especially those with an autoimmune disorder, are undergoing chemotherapy or who have a vaccine allergy.
As of January, parents wanting a nonmedical waiver must first be educated by a local health department about the risks of not receiving vaccines.