California Gov. signs mandatory vaccination bill

LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Tuesday a bill that would require more children who enter day care or school to be vaccinated.

“The science is clear that vaccines dramatically protect children against a number of infectious and dangerous diseases,” Brown wrote in a statement to members of the California State Senate. “While it’s true that no medical intervention is without risk, the evidence shows that immunizations powerfully benefits and protects the community.”

The bill ends exemptions from state immunization laws based on religious or other personal beliefs. However, while requiring that school children be vaccinated, the bill does provide an exception when a physician confirms that a child has a medical condition that would warrant such an exception.

According to reports, the bill was introduced due to concern about low vaccination rates in some communities and following an outbreak of measles at Disneyland that infected more than 150 people.