What if Disney banned unvaccinated children from their hotels and parks?

[Disney1fan2002]

I know this is a huge contrversial subject, but I was in my breakroom at work and the news was on the TV with the volume muted. I just saw the tag line at the bottom of the screen: MEASLES OUTBREAK: UNVACCINATED CHILDREN TO BE BANNED

Banned from where, I don't know. I was busy preparing my dinner. It got me thinking, how would any place enforce it? Ask for proof of vaccination? IMO, most parents would lie, if it prevented them from being inconvenienced.

So...that got me thinking more, what if Disney decided the risk was just too great, especially with the amount of immuno-compromised children that visit Disney every year. Would they trust the honor system? Would parents lie? Would Disney ask for proof?

 

[fla4fun]

And at what age would you no longer be asked for proof? I was fully vaccinated but I would have no idea where to get those records as my pediatrician has been dead for years, as well as the general practitioner who I saw afterwards. I don’t recall any medical records following me when I moved to Florida. But I am sure there could be some of my generation who were not vaccinated even though it was more rare back then.

I would think that schools would be one of the few places that could ban non vaccinated people because they are one of the few places that already have that info on file. If a community was having an epidemic, they could request all people stay home, but that hasn’t always worked well as someone always thinks they’re special and it doesn’t apply to them.

 

[ronandannette]

I don't know about a ban, but I do believe outbreaks of measles and other preventable infections diseases should be widely publicized. Those not vaccinated shouldn't need to be banned, they should be home hiding under their beds in fear. They've put themselves (or more accurately have put their children) at tremendous, unnecessary risk. Better yet they should be racing to their medical professionals to get vaccinated before it's too late.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I don't know about a ban, but I do believe outbreaks of measles and other preventable infections diseases should be widely publicized. Those not vaccinated shouldn't need to be banned, they should be home hiding under their beds in fear. They've put themselves (or more accurately have put their children) at tremendous, unnecessary risk. Better yet they should be racing to their medical professionals to get vaccinated before it's too late.

This! Parents put their kids at risk and should be doing their darndest to protect their kids from this deadly disease!

 

[Floridaman999]

Social media would be quite funny and enjoyable for a while. That's for sure.

 

[JenniferYoung44]

They should. Jimmy Kimmel said it best... our country is so messed up by first world privilege we have parents more afraid of gluten than small pox.

 

[ronandannette]

This! Parents put their kids at risk and should be doing their darndest to protect their kids from this deadly disease!

There's no longer any pretending measles, which had been completely eradicated in North America, has now returned, perhaps permanently. What a shame.

Personally, I don't discount parents concerns out of hand; we were very cautious and purposeful in vaccinating our DS. When he was that age (in the late '90s), there were prominent discussions about the potential danger of mercury-based preservatives and various ajuvants in vaccines. We paid OOP to have him vaccinated from single-dose vials without thimerisol, and he received only one vaccine at a time, on a schedule supervised by our doctor, in order to minimize the risks of reaction as much as possible. Given the information we had at the time, I feel our approach was reasonable and I'd do the same again, but not vaccinating was never a consideration.

One thing I do wonder about though is that there are many people in my generation (born in the '60s) that contracted measles (called "red measles"), mumps and/or rubella (called "German measles"). While it was always a serious concern, measles was certainly not considered a death sentence. I personally don't know of anyone who suffered grave effects. Has the virus mutated somehow to make it more virulent?

 

[J'aime Paris]

I know this is a huge contrversial subject, but I was in my breakroom at work and the news was on the TV with the volume muted. I just saw the tag line at the bottom of the screen: MEASLES OUTBREAK: UNVACCINATED CHILDREN TO BE BANNED

Banned from where, I don't know. I was busy preparing my dinner. It got me thinking, how would any place enforce it? Ask for proof of vaccination? IMO, most parents would lie, if it prevented them from being inconvenienced.

So...that got me thinking more, what if Disney decided the risk was just too great, especially with the amount of immuno-compromised children that visit Disney every year. Would they trust the honor system? Would parents lie? Would Disney ask for proof?

Were your referring to this?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/nyregion/measles-outbreak-rockland-county.html


I think it would be near impossible to enforce at WDW. Think about all the foreign visitors? They most likely have different vaccination requirements/schedules than in the US. Would complicate trying to implement any rules further...

 

[Hikergirl]

Rockland County NY is banning unvaccinated minors from public places.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Rockland-County-State-Emergency-Measles-507672921.html?ff

 

[JenniferYoung44]

Were your referring to this?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/nyregion/measles-outbreak-rockland-county.html


I think it would be near impossible to enforce at WDW. Think about all the foreign visitors? They most likely have different vaccination requirements/schedules than in the US. Would complicate trying to implement any rules further...

Rockland county has already said there “enforcement” is going to more like retroactive punishment than checking everyone in public. In other words if you take your unvaccinated kid in public and they get measle (which is reported to the health department by law) you will be prosecuted. They hope the fear of that will keep unvaccinated kids at home. You’d think that fear of the measles itself would do that but apparently not.

 

[cjbcam]

I think people need to be better educated on how vaccines work. I was just having a conversation with a girl at work and she doesn’t vaccinate. She asked me what I would do if friends stopped being friends with me because I didn’t vaccinate. I said I wouldn’t know but how would you deal with your kid getting something preventable like meningitis and your kid dying. She said she would take her kid to the doctor and they would cure him before any damage could be done. I said it doesn’t work that way.

 

[ronandannette]

Rockland County NY is banning unvaccinated minors from public places.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Rockland-County-State-Emergency-Measles-507672921.html?ff

The problem with that is enforcement is literally impossible. I'm no libertarian, but I just can't see the sense in it.

ETA: The "retroactive punishment" mentioned by @JenniferYoung44 doesn't do anything meaningful to actually curb the violations. It's a lame idea all around.

 

[Hikergirl]

The problem with that is enforcement is literally impossible. I'm no libertarian, but I just can't see the sense in it.

I totally agree, it's not like you can check the vaccination records of every minor out in a public place.
Better to let them go out and catch the measles, then maybe their parents will wisen up about getting them vaccinated for everything else.

 

[Kellykins1218]

So...that got me thinking more, what if Disney decided the risk was just too great, especially with the amount of immuno-compromised children that visit Disney every year. Would they trust the honor system? Would parents lie? Would Disney ask for proof?

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

If Disney banned the unvaccinated, I'm wondering how they could enforce it. Would they really demand to see vaccination schedules? About the best we can do is require said vaccination schedules to go to school or be employed by the school or if someone's kid ends up with measles or something and wasn't vaccinated, criminal charges follow.

I totally agree, it's not like you can check the vaccination records of every minor out in a public place.
Better to let them go out and catch the measles, then maybe their parents will wisen up about getting them vaccinated for everything else.

You'd think they would wise up but they don't. In fact we have people deliberately exposing their kids to diseases thinking it will make them stronger. You can't fix stupid.

 

[ChrisFL]

you mean pro-plague families? it would be great if Disney did, but not sure how they could enforce it

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I don't think it would be very realistic.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

There's no longer any pretending measles, which had been completely eradicated in North America, has now returned, perhaps permanently. What a shame.

Personally, I don't discount parents concerns out of hand; we were very cautious and purposeful in vaccinating our DS. When he was that age (in the late '90s), there were prominent discussions about the potential danger of mercury-based preservatives and various ajuvants in vaccines. We paid OOP to have him vaccinated from single-dose vials without thimerisol, and he received only one vaccine at a time, on a schedule supervised by our doctor, in order to minimize the risks of reaction as much as possible. Given the information we had at the time, I feel our approach was reasonable and I'd do the same again, but not vaccinating was never a consideration.

One thing I do wonder about though is that there are many people in my generation (born in the '60s) that contracted measles (called "red measles"), mumps and/or rubella (called "German measles"). While it was always a serious concern, measles was certainly not considered a death sentence. I personally don't know of anyone who suffered grave effects. Has the virus mutated somehow to make it more virulent?

I have a friend ( male) who had measles and it made him sterile. He was born around 1963 I’m guessing. I don’t know if it was red measles or German measles.

 

[disneychrista]

I would have no idea where to get those records

My guess is the county health department (where you were vaccinated) has these records (or had). I have not clue how long they keep these records.