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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that exemptions for routine vaccines among kindergartners in the U.S. have reached a record high. According to the federal data published on Wednesday, vaccination rates for the 2023-24 school year fell slightly from the previous year, with 3.3% of kindergartners exempt from one or more vaccines. This equates to about 127,000 children exempt from vaccines required for school, up from 3% the previous year.
The data showed that coverage with the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, the poliovirus (polio) vaccine, and the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine decreased in more than 30 states compared to the prior year. For the MMR vaccine, coverage fell from 93.1% during the 2022-23 school year to 92.7% during the 2023-24 school year. DTaP vaccination coverage dropped from 92.7% to 92.3% over the same period. Coverage for the polio vaccine fell from 93.1% to 92.6%, and the percentage of children who received two doses of the chickenpox vaccine declined from 92.8% to 92.3%.
Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, told ABC News, "Unfortunately, these [numbers] are very shocking and concerning, but unfortunately [also] not surprising given the climate of misinformation and vaccine hesitancy that we exist in."
The rise in exemptions is attributed to nonmedical reasons, which have steadily increased from 1.4% during the 2011-12 school year to 3.1% during the 2023-24 school year. Currently, 45 states allow for religious and/or personal exemptions, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The decline in vaccination rates has contributed to a surge in preventable diseases. Measles and whooping cough cases are at their highest levels since 2019, and there are still three months left in the year. Additionally, the number of flu-related pediatric deaths this season is already at its highest level since the 2009 pandemic.