Medical professionals release response to recent ruling on vaccination requirements

In a statement released Tuesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics said they were "disappointed and outraged" by a federal judge's decision on required immunizations. The statement was signed by the leaders of the Mississippi Chapter of the organization and reads "We have now had more than 50 years of healthier children in our schools because of our strong state immunization laws."

Tanya Fitts is a practicing pediatrician in Oxford and currently serves as the Executive Committee President for the Mississippi chapter of the AAP. She says her organization has long-supported Mississippi's vaccination policies.

"We do lead the nation in our immunization rates," she said. "that is the one positive health outcome that we do lead the country in, and that is a direct result of our strong vaccination and immunization laws."

The AAP is one of many organizations in the state that have openly disapproved of the judge's ruling. Fitts says that Mississippi's strong vaccine policies have worked well for the state's children, and the groups' frustration comes from seeing that progress potentially go away.

"We feel strongly that immunizations protect the whole community, protect each individual child that gets those vaccinations, and prevent diseases." she said. "In my career, I've seen almost elimination of infants with meningitis."

The ruling states that the health department has until mid-July to create a religious exemption policy.