Vaccination Orders During a Public Health Emergency. Many states also have laws providing for mandatory vaccinations during a public health emergency or outbreak of a communicable disease. Generally, the power to order such actions rests with the governor of the state, the state board of health, or the state health officer. For example, in Hawaii, the Governor has the power to supplement the state’s existing compulsory vaccination programs and institute additional programs in the event of a civil
defense emergency period.18 Arizona also authorizes the Governor, during a state ofemergency or state of war emergency in which there is an occurrence or the imminent threat of smallpox or other highly contagious and highly fatal disease, “to issue orders that
mandate treatment or vaccination of persons who are diagnosed with illness resultingfrom exposure or who are reasonably believed to have been exposed or who mayreasonably be expected to be exposed.”19 In Florida, upon declaration of a public healthemergency, the state health officer may order an individual to be vaccinated “forcommunicable diseases that have significant morbidity or mortality and present a severe
danger to public health.”20...

Other states have provisions for mandatory vaccinations, but provide exemptions similar to those for childhood vaccinations discussed above. For example, in Connecticut, a person may refuse a vaccination if a physician determines that “it would not be prudent on account of sickness.”21 In Virginia, vaccination requirements may alsobe waived if the vaccination would be detrimental to a person’s health, as certified by a
physician.22 Wisconsin allows a person to refuse a vaccination for medical reasons andalso for “reasons of religion or conscience.”23 However, if a person refuses to be vaccinated, he or she may be quarantined during the public health emergency giving rise to the vaccination order.

The state of Texas in law grants and acknowledges the right of parents to exempt their children from vaccination requirements for day care, school, and college for reasons of conscience including a religious belief or for medical reasons. In 2003, the Texas legislature passed changes to the statutes expanding the reasons a parent can claim an exemption but the Health Department has questionably also increased the bureaucratic red tape necessary for claiming the exemption. There are specific procedures for requesting an official state form and submitting it to the school or for completing a medical exemption that all take some time so please don't wait until the last minute to get your papers in order.