Vaccination Decline and Exemption Rise
U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates fell to 92.7% for the -2024 school year, a decrease from about 93% the previous year, with exemptions rising to an all-time high of 3.3%.
The decrease translates to approximately 80,000 more children unvaccinated, contributing to rising cases of whooping cough, measles, and other preventable diseases.
Factors and Implications
Increased skepticism toward vaccines, fueled by online misinformation and the politicization of COVID-19 vaccines, has led more parents to refuse routine childhood vaccinations.
The rise in non-medical exemptions, now accounting for a significant portion of the overall exemption rate, poses a greater risk of disease outbreaks, especially in communities with clustered unvaccinated children.