In an effort to protect California children in daycare from contracting serious diseases, California State Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) introduced a bill which would require all family daycare workers to be vaccinated against measles, pertussis and influenza, among others.

As recently as the year 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had declared that measles was eliminated from the United States. This was made possible due to a highly effective vaccination program and better measles control, Mendoza said.

However, from Dec. 28, 2014 to Feb. 20, 2015, there have been 117 confirmed cases of measles in California according to the CDC. The outbreak likely originated from a traveler who became infected overseas with measles and visited Disneyland while contagious.

“One child’s death is one too many, especially when it may be preventable,” Mendoza said. “With the recent deadly outbreaks of measles and influenza, we must do everything in our power to protect California’s children who spend time in daycare.”

Beyond requiring that daycare workers to be immunized against influenza, pertussis, and measles, the bill will also specify that these workers must comply with the broader recommendations for adult immunizations by the U.S. Centers for Disease’s Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Currently, there are no immunization requirements for daycare workers.

“Children under the age of 5 are one of the most vulnerable age groups for contracting infection and developing complications from these very serious diseases, so it is critical that we use all available methods to protect them,” Mendoza said.