U.S. kindergarten vaccine exemption rate sets another new record

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 federal data released earlier this month (Source: “US childhood vaccination rates fall again as exemptions set another record,” Associated Press, Aug. 5).
 
According to the CDC data, 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 CDC also reported the median exemption rate among 48 states and the District of Columbia was 4.1%.
 
Meanwhile, 92.5% of 2024-25 kindergartners got their required measles-mumps-rubella shots, down slightly from the previous year. The rate is even lower in Ohio, at 88%. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the national vaccination rate was 95% — the level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak.
 
The vaccination numbers were posted as the U.S. experiences its worst year for measles spread in more than three decades, with 2,777 confirmed cases as of Aug. 20.