Bronx, NY – Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx) announced today he introduced a bill that would add influenza virus to the list of illnesses children attending state licensed facilities are required to be vaccinated against. The introduction of this bill comes in the wake of New York State Supreme Court Justice Manuel J. Mendez’s decision that the New York City Health Department did not have the authority to institute the mandate on its own without state legislative approval.

Currently, under section 2164 of Title VI of the New York State Public Health Law, all children are required to receive immunizations for poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, diphtheria, rubella, hepatitis B, HiB, and varicella (commonly known as the chicken pox), but not influenza.

“Over 24,000 people a year die from influenza, and those who are most vulnerable are children and the elderly,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz, who earlier this year introduced the toughest immunization law in the country, eliminating all non-medical immunization exemptions from state law. “The Court’s ruling on this matter is unfortunate, as it is putting thousands of children’s lives at risk, however, we must take this opportunity to add influenza to the list of required vaccinations not just for New York City’s school children, but for children across the state.”

Should Assemblyman Dinowitz’s legislation pass, New York would join New Jersey and Connecticut in being the only states requiring that children attending state licensed facilities be immunized against influenza. A recent study by the federally run Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that after Connecticut instituted the mandate, childhood immunization rates rose from 69% to 84% in just two years.

“Last winter we were all reminded of the dangers of not vaccinating our children against contagious diseases when a measles outbreak that started with just one person in California, made its way across the country, infecting over 141 people,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “While some seem to question the science behind immunizations, the fact is that vaccinations are endorsed by the United States Surgeon General, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a necessary public health measure to ensure the general health and welfare for everybody. It is incredibly important that we make sure that every child who is medically able receives the proper immunizations,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.