US kindergarten vaccination rate dropped again, data shows

Vaccination rates for U.S. kindergarteners dropped again last year, and federal officials are starting a new campaign to try to bring them up.

Usually, 94 per cent to 95 per cent of kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, tetanus, and certain other diseases.

The vaccination rates dropped below 94 per cent in the 2020-2021 school year, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Thursday found rates dropped again in the 2021-2022 school year, to about 93 per cent.

The pandemic disrupted vaccinations and other routine health care for children, and also taxed the ability of school administrators and nurses to track which children weren't up-to-date on shots.

CDC officials said decreased confidence in vaccines is another likely contributor.

Health officials focus on kindergarten because it's when most children enter school systems. 

Public schools typically require vaccinations as a condition of attendance, though some exemptions are allowed.

Such exemptions were up slightly last school year, but the CDC's Shannon Stokley said they are not the main driver of the decrease.

Rather, more schools relaxed their policies to allow enrollment while giving families a grace period to get shots, she said.

The new numbers suggest that as many as 275,000 kindergartners lack full vaccine protection.

Falling vaccination rates open the door to outbreaks of diseases once thought to be in the rearview mirror, experts say.

They point to a case of paralytic polio reported last year in New York, and to recent measles surges in Minnesota and Ohio.

Those outbreaks coincide with anecdotal and survey information suggesting more parents are questioning bedrock childhood vaccines long celebrated as public health success stories.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll last month found less support among parents for school vaccine requirements vs. a 2019 survey.

Other physicians have told him that more parents are being selective about which vaccines to give their kids. 

CDC data reflected that: The chickenpox vaccination rate fell more sharply than the rate for shots against measles, mumps and rubella.

Thursday's CDC study was based on public school kindergarten vaccination reports from 49 states, and reporting on private schools from 48 states. Montana did not report data.

Rates vary across the country. CDC officials noted significant increases in a few states, including Hawaii, Maine, Maryland and Wyoming. But most states saw declines, with the largest drops in Mississippi, Georgia and Wisconsin.

A second CDC report on Thursday found overall vaccination rates among younger children remained high and stable, although there were declines among kids who were poor and lived in rural areas.

The report was based on a 2021 national telephone survey of parents of children who were about 2 years old.