Nearly three-quarters of parents surveyed said they wanted their child's doctor to place restrictions on unvaccinated patients visiting their office, according to research released Tuesday.
The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan asked 2,032 parents with at least one child that was 0 to 18 years old to complete a survey, Newsweek magazine reports.
Here are the key findings:
- 28 percent said a doctor's office should ask parents of unvaccinated children to another healthcare provider.
- 27 percent said unvaccinated children should wear masks in the doctor's office.
- 17 percent said they should not be allowed in a waiting room.
- 28 percent said, however, that such children should have access to care regardless of their status.
As many as 2 percent of American children are unvaccinated, which can expose them to measles, pertussis, chickenpox, and other diseases.
Vaccines work in part to protect groups from infectious diseases because a majority of people have been immunized against them.
But growing numbers of parents oppose vaccines, believing, despite scientific studies to the contrary, that ingredients in them may cause autism.
"During recent outbreaks of measles, many infected individuals sought care at healthcare facilities, unwittingly placing other patients at risk," Sarah Clark, the Mott poll's co-director, told Newsweek.
Clark told the magazine that she was surprised to find that "three-quarters of parents want their child's healthcare provider to place some type of restriction on children who are completely unvaccinated: either leave the practice, don't use the waiting room, or wear a mask.
"This indicates that parents recognize that there is a real risk of disease transmission."
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