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Vaccination exemption rates for US kindergartners hit record high
WESH • • general
Key Points:
- The CDC reported a continued decline in kindergarten vaccination rates for the 2025-2026 school year, with the MMR vaccine rate dropping slightly to 92.4%.
- Nonmedical exemptions for vaccinations reached a record 4% nationwide, contributing to an overall increase in exemptions for at least one vaccine.
- Among 46 states with sufficient data, 42 experienced rises in nonmedical exemption rates, with 23 states reporting exemption rates of 5% or higher.
- The data includes vaccination rates for MMR, DTaP, polio, and chickenpox vaccines, highlighting ongoing challenges in maintaining high immunization coverage.
- This report follows President Donald Trump's recent executive order aimed at revising child vaccination guidelines to space out vaccines.
