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North Carolina's kindergarten vaccination rates show vulnerability to measles amid US outbreaks
WRAL • • health
Key Points:
- Rising measles cases in the U.S. are linked to declining vaccination rates, with nearly 500 more cases reported in the first eight months of 2026 compared to all of 2025, according to CDC data.
- Vaccination coverage among kindergartners dropped by 0.1% during the 2025-26 school year, leaving about 280,000 children without documented MMR vaccination, and some regions experiencing much larger declines.
- Requests for non-medical vaccine exemptions have increased since 2020-21, contributing to lower overall vaccination rates, with only 10 states reaching the 95% MMR vaccination threshold needed for herd immunity in 2025-26.
- The majority (94%) of measles cases in 2026 involved unvaccinated individuals or those with unknown vaccination status, and measles-related deaths in 2025 and 2026 occurred exclusively among unvaccinated people.
- Surveys reveal a decline in parental confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness since 2015, with parents who believe vaccine falsehoods being about twice as likely to delay or skip vaccinating their children, highlighting the impact of misinformation on vaccination decisions.
