University of Wisconsin-Madison students will be mandated to share their vaccination status by March 12, university officials announced Thursday. Students who do not submit vaccination status will be unable to enroll in classes.
The new policy, sent to students in an email from Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor and Chief Health Officer Jake Baggott, is intended to help the university monitor immunity levels and respond to increasing outbreaks of communicable diseases, including:
- Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
- Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap)
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Meningococcal (ACWY, B)
- Hepatitis B
This comes after the university announced on Feb. 2 that a student tested positive for measles, the second confirmed case in Wisconsin this year.
UHS and local health groups notified approximately 4,000 people that they were exposed to measles. All exposed individuals had to share their vaccine status, with unvaccinated individuals required to quarantine for 21 days if they are not vaccinated.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles and UHS estimates 95% of students who self-report vaccine status are vaccinated for measles.
Students can upload vaccination records to MedProctor, a new online platform for students to share vaccination statuses, or submit a confirmation of their lack of vaccination on the platform if unvaccinated.
Students who previously uploaded records to MyUHS will have them automatically transferred and should receive confirmation by Feb. 20, Reesor and Baggott’s email said. Students without records or proof of immunity must complete an attestation form.
According to the University Health Services vaccination records page, students may also submit alternative proof of immunity, such as antibody or titer tests. Records must clearly show vaccine names and dates, and non-English documents must be translated.
UHS said the policy is about sharing vaccination status, not requiring vaccines. Previously, reporting vaccination status was only mandatory for students in certain campus housing under state law.
Additional public health measures may apply to unvaccinated students during outbreaks. Questions can be sent to vaccinationrecords@uhs.wisc.edu.
Vaccination clinics were held by the university on Feb. 11 and 12, with the possibility of more, including late-night clinics, being offered in the future. UHS will post updates if more are held.
