Three WIAAP members testified at last Tuesday’s hearing of the Assembly Committee on Constitution and Ethics in regard to the proposed updates in support the state’s student immunization regulations under administrative rule DHS 144, Immunization of Students. We thank Drs. Kim, Brenner and Dulski for their patience – it was a packed hearing the process took longer than anticipated!

From left: Michael Kim, MD, FAAP, Michelle Brenner, MD, Theresa Dulski, MD, MPH, FAAP

In executive session on March 5, the committee voted 2-6 to object to the provisions, sending the measure to the Joint Committee for Review of  Administrative Rules, who will hold a public hearing in the coming weeks. WIAAP will continue to advocate for its passage; watch for opportunities to call, email and testify in person to speak up for sound vaccination policy for Wisconsin’s schools.

The proposed updates include:

  • amending the definition of “substantial outbreak” to include varicella (chicken pox)
  • updating the definition for mumps
  • moving the Tdap vaccine from 6th to 7th grade
  • adding the meningococcal vaccine to the 7th grade panel of immunizations

These updates will align Wisconsin’s student immunization regulations with the recommendations put forth by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics and current evidence-based practices. Further, the proposed changes streamline existing regulations and reporting requirements between state entities and include necessary clerical updates.

A joint 2020 March 3 DHS 144 Coalition Letter in strong support of the measure has been issued by the following partners for dissemination at the hearing:

Advocate Aurora Healthcare
Ascension Wisconsin
Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin
Children’s Wisconsin
Gundersen Health System
Kids Forward
Medical College of Wisconsin
Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin
Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center
Southern Wisconsin Immunization Consortium
UW School of Medicine and Public Health
UW Health
UW Health American Family Children’s Hospital
Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians
Wisconsin Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Wisconsin Medical Society