Kindergarten vaccination exemptions at highest level ever – By Nathaniel Weixel (The Hill) / Nov 9, 2023
The percentage of kindergarteners whose parents opted them out of school-required vaccinations rose to the highest level yet during the 2022-2023 school year, according to new federal data released Thursday.
The drop in coverage for routine vaccinations against diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella increase the chances of an outbreak, and underscore the continued fallout from barriers to vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An outbreak of measles in central Ohio last winter brought renewed attention to the risks of not completing MMR vaccinations. The CDC found that 94 percent of the cases occurred in children under 5 years of age who were unvaccinated.
This kindergarten class became age-eligible to complete most state-required vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every state and the District of Columbia requires children to get vaccinated against certain diseases before they start school, including measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox.
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