DRAFT

STATEMENT OF BASIS AND PURPOSE

AND SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORITY FOR

Proposed Amendments to Rules and Regulations Pertaining to

the Infant Immunization Program, the Vaccines for Children Program, and

the Immunization of Students Attending School

6 CCR 1009-2

November 7, 2008

Basis and Purpose.

State statute requires the Board of Health to provide guidance regarding all aspects of required child care and school immunizations for Colorado children/students. The purpose of the first proposed change is to provide consistency between the terms identified in the statute for school entry immunization and the terms identified in the rules. In order to provide this consistency it is being proposed that in the definition for “School” the entity “foster care home” be included and the existing entity, “family care home” be changed to “family child care home.”

In footnote “l” for Hepatitis B in Table 1 of the rules, it is being proposed that the administration of this vaccine follow the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended schedule. Currently it is recommended that a student receive 3 Hepatitis B vaccines without regard to the appropriate intervals between doses. Administering this vaccine as recommended by ACIP ensures optimum protection against Hepatitis B disease, thereby providing protection of the public’s health.

Corrections to the descriptors in footnotes “n” and “o” for Varicella vaccine in Table 1 need to be made for purposes of clarity. The way in which footnote “n” is currently written is misleading and unclear. The proposed change will guide the reader to the appropriate chart and the appropriate dosing schedule. The sentence in footnote “o” has a misspelled word that is to be corrected.

Specific Statutory Authority. These rules are promulgated pursuant to the following statutes:

Section 25-4-901 (Definitions- Schools) and Table 1, footnotes l, n, and o.

Major Factual and Policy Issues Encountered.

The consideration regarding these rules and the clarification of terms and language in both the definition of school and in the footnotes l, n, and o are consistent with the terms and language in statute and with the recommendations of ACIP. Several representatives from CDPHE, local health departments and schools were involved in the review process and added suggestions that assisted in the development of these proposed changes and update.

Alternative Rules Considered and Why Rejected.

Alternative rules were not considered in the discussions.