National Vaccination Trends
The reports a decline in kindergarten vaccination rates for the 2023-2024 school year, with coverage for key diseases like measles and diphtheria dropping compared to the previous year.
Despite the decrease, the majority of kindergartners remain vaccinated, with DTaP and MMR rates at 92.3% and 92.7% respectively, indicating a slight dip from the 2022-2023 figures.
Exemptions and Disease Implications
Exemptions from vaccinations have risen to 3.3% nationally, with 40 states and DC reporting an increase, highlighting a growing trend of vaccination skepticism.
Public health officials express concern over the potential for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, due to declining vaccination rates and increased exemptions.