National kindergarten vaccination rates continues to drop

U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year, and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to new federal data (Source: “National childhood vaccination rates fall again as exemptions set another record, following local trend,” Dayton Daily News, Aug. 7).
 
According to new CDC data posted Thursday, the fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 3.6%, up from 3.3% the year before. It’s the third record-breaking year in a row for the national average exemption rate, and the vast majority are parents withholding shots for nonmedical reasons.
 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reported the median exemption rate among 48 states and the District of Columbia was 4.1%.
 
Meanwhile, 92.5% of 2024-25 kindergartners nationally got their required measles-mumps-rubella shots, down slightly from the previous year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccination rate was 95% — the level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak.
 
The state of Ohio mandates that students in kindergarten through 12th grade receive vaccinations against 10 diseases. Ohio mandates students be protected against 10 vaccine-preventable diseases by kindergarten, and up to date on vaccines to enter seventh grade and 12th grade.