Illinois § 1

§ 1.

Certain communicable diseases such as measles, poliomyelitis, invasive pneumococcal disease, and tetanus, may and do result in serious physical and mental disability including an intellectual disability, permanent paralysis, encephalitis, convulsions, pneumonia, and not infrequently, death. Most of these diseases attack young children, and if they have not been immunized, may spread to other susceptible children and possibly, adults, thus, posing serious threats to the health of the community. Effective, safe and widely used vaccines and immunization procedures have been developed and are available to prevent these diseases and to limit their spread. Even though such immunization procedures are available, many children fail to receive this protection either through parental oversight, lack of concern, knowledge or interest, or lack of available facilities or funds. The existence of susceptible children in the community constitutes a health hazard to the individual and to the public at large by serving as a focus for the spread of these communicable diseases. It is declared to be the public policy of this State that all children shall be protected, as soon after birth as medically indicated, by the appropriate vaccines and immunizing procedures to prevent communicable diseases which are or which may in the future become preventable by immunization. (Source: P.A. 97-227, eff. 1-1-12.)