A large majority of Americans believe parents should be forced to vaccinate their healthy children to protect against preventable diseases such as measles and mumps, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday.
Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they believe all children should be vaccinated, except those for whom vaccination poses a direct health risk, while only 13 percent opposed mandatory vaccinations.
Of the 6,012 Americans who participated in the online poll, 71 percent said they believe public schools should be allowed to temporarily suspend unvaccinated children when there is a major disease outbreak in the area, with only 17 percent disagreeing.
A separate poll of 1,027 Americans conducted by CNN/ORC and released this week reported nearly identical findings, with 78 percent agreeing with mandatory vaccinations and 22 percent opposing.
The polls were released following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report detailing a total of 154 reported measles cases in the U.S. between Jan. 1 and Feb. 20. In the last week, 13 new cases were reported.
According to the CDC, 118 of the 154 reported cases are linked to the ongoing multi-state measles outbreak that began in the Disneyland amusement park last December, and a majority of people who have developed measles were unvaccinated. Two other outbreaks have appeared, one in Illinois, with 14 cases, and in Nevada, which has six reported cases.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, and the current outbreaks are fueled by people who chose not to get preventative vaccinations, according to experts, CNN reported.
Many of those who oppose mandatory vaccinations do so on ethical, moral and even constitutional grounds, claiming that the individual should always have the choice of what goes into their body.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, an ophthalmologist and potential 2016 presidential contender, controversially claimed earlier this month that he knew of instances where vaccines caused mental disorders, saying that vaccines should be voluntary.
Among other potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has said vaccines should be "absolutely" mandatory, while New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called for a "measure of choice," reported CBNC.
President Barack Obama has urged parents to vaccinate their children but stopped short of saying there should be a federal law mandating vaccinations.
