95 percent of Oregon parents who secure vaccine exemptions use do-it-yourself option, state data shows

An overwhelming majority of parents in Oregon who secure vaccine exemptions for their children do so using the state’s do-it-yourself option, according to state data.

Data from the Oregon Health Authority shows that of the 31,500 non-medical vaccine exemptions sent in last year, 30,000 were from parents who watched an online education video and printed a do-it-yourself form, according to The Oregonian. 

The state has the highest rate of kindergarten vaccine exemptions, with 7.6 percent of students having at least one exemption in the 2017-18 school year.{mosads}

Fewer than 2,000 parents chose to talk to a health care provider and acquire a signature for their children’s vaccine exemptions, the paper reported.

State Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D) who proposed a bill to eliminate non-medical vaccine exemptions, told the paper he disapproved of the do-it-yourself option. 

“It’s obviously letting too many people off the hook,” he said.

The data comes amid a series of measles outbreaks across the country.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed 387 measles cases from Jan. 1 to March 28, more than were reported for the entire year of 2018. Such cases have been confirmed in 15 states.

Some lawmakers across the U.S. have proposed bans on non-medical vaccine exemptions.

New York lawmakers on Thursday called to end non-medical exemptions vaccinations for school-aged children amid an ongoing measles outbreak in multiple parts of the state.