CDC: Kindergarten vaccination rate drops for third straight year

Vaccination rates for U.S. kindergarteners dropped last year for the third year in a row, and federal officials are starting a new campaign to try to bring them up (Source: “US kindergarten vaccination rate dropped again, data shows,” Associated Press via Warren Tribune Chronicle, Jan. 12).

Usually, 94% to 95% of kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, tetanus and certain other diseases. The vaccination rates dropped below 94% in the 2020-2021 school year, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

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.