The percentage of children who did not obtain their recommended children’s vaccines increased again last year, continuing the possession after the pandemic of Americans who opt for vaccines.
During the 2024-2025 school year, 4.1% of the Kindergarten, around 138,000 children, had a vaccine exemption, exceeding the previous 3.7% record during the previous school year.
Almost all exemptions are listed as non -medical ones, which means that children do not vaccinate for religious reasons or other personal reasons.
The data, informed on Thursday by the centers for disease control and prevention, occur when 2025 has registered the largest number of measles cases in 33 years: 1,333 cases in 39 states.
Dr. Richard Besser, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former interim director of the CDC, said he hopes that the rate of vaccination exemptions will continue to increase while Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti -vacuna activist for a long time, be Secretary of Health and Human Services.
“While these numbers are bad, they do not even begin to reflect the impact that Secretary Kennedy will have on future exemptions,” Besser said. “No one has done more to instill fear and distrust of vaccines.”
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in an email: “That could not be further from the truth.”
“Vaccination remains the most effective way to protect children from serious illnesses such as measles and people’s cough, which can lead to hospitalization and long -term health complications,” said Nixon, and added that the decision of a family to vaccinate is “personal.”
Approximately 286,000 Kindergarten Last School The year had no documentation that they had had the measles vaccine-MOUSPS-RUBELLA, the CDC said.
These children were young children when the pandemic hit in 2020. The MMR vaccine is administered in two doses from 1 years.
Last year, only 92.5% of the children had their shots of MMR and Poly, and 92.1% had been vaccinated against tetanus and whore cough.
Both percentages are decreases from the previous year.
“A fall in coverage like that can make a big difference to keep a disease such as measles at bay,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of the global health policy program in KFF, a non -partisan health policy organization. “The lowest measles vaccination rates are a key driver for outbreaks like the ones we are seeing in many states this year.”
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses on earth. In general, 95% of the community must be vaccinated against it to prevent outbreaks.
While states have different vaccination requirements to attend public and private schools, they usually include MMR, poliovirus and chickenpox vaccines, as well as DTAP, which covers Dipteria, tetanus and acellular Ferusis cough (also called Peraina Tos).
