What You Need To Know About Proof of Immunity.

Q: My child is partially vaccinated and I do not want to give my child additional vaccines. What can I do to prove that my child is immune to the diseases that the state says are required?

A: Some state laws allow individuals to be exempted from vaccination or re-vaccination if proof of existing immunity for certain diseases can be shown. If a person has recovered from the natural disease or has been vaccinated, a blood titer test may indicate that there are enough naturally acquired or vaccine acquired antibodies to “prove” immunity to a particular disease.

Check vaccine laws in your state to find out if your state will accept a blood titer test as proof of immunity and provide a vaccine exemption. Private medical laboratories can perform the blood titer test and measure the level of antibodies and provide you with a report that you can submit with the request for an exemption if the antibody titers are high enough according to accepted standards. A blood titer test that measures antibody levels can cost $55 or more, depending on the disease.

However not all state school systems will take proof of immunity demonstrated by antibody titer tests as a reason to not vaccinate. Again, it is important to be familiar with the laws in your state, which can be found on NVIC's website here.