School Vaccination Fraud Awareness
The New York State Department of Health protects and promotes health and well-being for all, including keeping children safe from vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccine fraud is serious, and suspected fraud will be thoroughly investigated. Report all cases of suspected vaccine fraud to stopvaxfraud@health.ny.gov
Spotting a Fraudulent Record
The New York State Department of Health wants to help schools recognize red flags on immunization records to stop fraud. Schools are on the frontlines in the defense against vaccine preventable diseases and have the responsibility to reject immunization records they believe to be fraudulent based on their knowledge and assessment of the facts.
- Learn more: Spotting a Fraudulent Record Fact Sheet (PDF)
When students are impacted by school vaccination fraud:
- School administrators must immediately exclude any student who no longer meets school immunization requirements due to a fraudulent immunization record;
- School nurses or administrators must notify parents that the student must be excluded and which vaccines are required to return to school;
- School nurses or administrators must notify their county health department of all immunization-related exclusions; and,
- Excluded students must receive the next required dose for each incomplete vaccine series before returning to school.
- Students must then stay up to date using the minimum dose intervals in the ACIP Catch-Up Schedule or be excluded again when they become overdue for follow-up doses.
Be aware when reviewing school vaccination records:
- Caroline Hartridge, MD - banned from providing school vaccination medical exemptions on 12/18/2023, and all existing medical exemptions signed by her are invalid
- Gabriel Dugue, MD (See Me Doc) – currently suspended from using the New York State Immunization Information System as of 05/17/2024. Paper records from this provider must not be accepted.
- Yanick Dugue, PA (See Me Doc) – currently suspended from using the New York State Immunization Information System as of 05/17/2024. Paper records from this provider must not be accepted.
- Giuseppina Feingold, MD (Valley Health & Hyperbarics) – currently suspended from using the New York State Immunization Information System as of 04/22/2024. Paper records from this provider must not be accepted.
- Carlos Juan Rivera, MD (Doc Dash) – currently suspended from using the New York State Immunization Information System as of 02/08/2024. Paper records from this provider must not be accepted.
- Mark Nesselsson, MD – is based in New York, NY and currently suspended from using the Citywide Immunization Registry. Paper records from this provider must not be accepted.
- Christopher Scianna, DO – has agreed to no longer practice medicine in New York State as of 01/05/2023. Paper records and/or medical exemptions from this provider must not be accepted.
School vaccination fraud press releases:
- 09/09/2024 - Julie DeVuono, Wild Child Pediatrics
- 05/07/2024 - Sandra Miceli, Surviving Naturally
- 01/17/2024 - Jeanette Breen, Baldwin Midwifery
Report suspicions of vaccination fraud to stopvaxfraud@health.ny.gov
Send questions about school vaccination requirements to osas@health.ny.gov