DENVER – Vaccinating children proved to be much more controversial to state representatives Monday than vaccinating cats.
Rep. Mike McLachlan, D-Durango, heard barely a peep of opposition to his latest bill, which would make it clear that counties can require cat and ferret owners to vaccinate their pets for rabies.
Counties already have explicit authority to require rabies shots for dogs, but leaders of some smaller counties, including Ouray and San Miguel, have said they think the current law isn’t clear.
“This is a public-safety measure. It’s a public-health measure,” McLachlan said.
Colorado has seen a few recent cases of rabies in pets that were infected by skunks and bats, McLachlan said.
Veterinarians are worried about rabies in cats, and there are 200 to 300 cases nationally every year, said Dr. Randa MacMillan, past president of the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association. Rabies can spread to humans, and it is fatal without prompt treatment.
McLachlan’s House Bill 1313 would make it clear that counties can adopt ordinances to require people to register and vaccinate their cats and ferrets, in addition to dogs. No one spoke against the bill in a brief hearing of the House Agriculture Committee, which passed the bill 7-3. It now goes to the full House.
It was a different story just hours earlier on the House floor, where representatives concluded an emotional debate on whether parents should have to take an educational class on vaccines before they exempt their children.
Rep. Lori Saine, R-Dacono, said parents who don’t want to vaccinate aren’t making the choice because they are uneducated.
“The parents I’ve talked to are the most educated parents I’ve seen. They know exactly what they’re doing and exactly what the risks are,” Saine said.
But doctors blame escalating outbreaks of whooping cough and other preventable diseases on the trend away from vaccinations. Colorado has one of the highest vaccine-exemption rates in the country.
House Bill 1288 would not force parents to vaccinate their children, but it would require them to get more information before they can claim a “personal belief” exemption. Exemptions for religious or medical purposes would not be affected by the bill.
Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, urged her colleagues to vote for it.
“I actually believe in science, and I actually believe that whatever I can do to protect the children is part of my job here,” Gerou said.
The House passed the bill 42-19 and sent it to the Senate for more hearings and debate.
jhanel@durangoherald.com
