The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has launched the California Immunization Registry – Medical Exemption (CAIR-ME) website to request, issue, manage and track medical exemptions from required immunizations for children attending school or child care facilities.

Effective January 1, 2021, new medical exemptions for children can only be issued using the CAIR-ME website. Physicians licensed in California can register to use CAIR-ME at any time in order to issue a medical exemption. Current users of CAIR2 will still need to register to use CAIR-ME.

Per state law, medical exemptions should meet applicable Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) criteria for appropriate medical exemptions or be consistent with the relevant standard of care.

CDPH will host a provider webinar on Tuesday, January 26, 2021, from 12-1 p.m., to review the new requirements and process for submitting exemptions in CAIR-ME. The webinar will also be recorded and available for on-demand viewing on the CAIR-ME website.