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After the largest measles outbreak in 15 years, California Senator Tony Mendoza is urging the state to make flu vaccines mandatory for all adults who work in preschools and daycare centers, the LA Times reported.

Children under the age of five are one of the most vulnerable groups for developing serious complications from measles, whooping cough and the flu. Requiring day-care workers to get vaccinated against these diseases would better protect children who are too young to receive all their shots, said Mendoza in a March 4 LA Times Article.

Fifteen of the California measles cases involved infants younger that one year, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The Nationwide daycare chain KinderCare, which operates more than 1,500 child care centers across the country, has already put staff vaccination requirements into place.  KinderCare announced it would require all staff members working with babies younger than 15 months to get the measles vaccine, also known as an MMR vaccine, after eight infants at a Chicago center suffered complications from the disease.

In addition to requiring childcare workers to get whooping cough, measles and flu vaccines, Mendoza’s bill would also require workers to comply with the vaccine schedule recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The first dose of the MMR vaccine should be administered between 12 and 15 months of age and the second is recommended between four and six years of age.  California requires two doses before children can attend kindergarten, but parents may obtain exemptions if the vaccines conflict with personal beliefs.

Anapol Schwartz strongly urges all individuals to follow the vaccine schedule recommended by their physician to ensure their own safety and the safety of others.  While there is the potential to suffer a rare but serious vaccine injury, the World Health Organization estimates that the measles vaccine saves 1 million lives each year.

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