https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhoo...xemptions-jumped-last-school-year-cdc-reports
US kindergarten vaccine exemptions jumped last school year, CDC reports
Meghan Holohan
Today at 5:19 p.m.
Childhood Vaccines
Anti-science
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
The increase in vaccine exemptions could mean more infectious disease outbreaks.
“We should be worried, because we’re already seeing the consequences of declines in vaccination. All you have to do is look at measles,” Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), told CIDRAP News. “The less we see people taking up vaccinations, the more we’re going to see these cases accumulate.”
Lower uptake than needed for herd immunity
During the 2025-26 school year, an estimated 280,000 children started kindergarten without proof that they completed the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine series. In total, 92.4% of kindergarteners received it—below the proportion needed to prevent measles from spreading in the community.
“More than a quarter of a million children started kindergarten last year without protection from the MMR vaccine,” Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said yesterday in a statement. “For some diseases like measles, even a small decrease in vaccination rates can lead to more outbreaks of disease because community immunity requires over 95% of susceptible individuals to be immunized.”
A similar percentage of kindergarteners as that receiving the MMR vaccine received the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine (92%). “When it comes to vaccination rates, however, anything less than achieving an A+ grade is not good enough,” Racine said.
The statement is a pathetic shadow of what the CDC should be saying about vaccines in the context of the biggest measles outbreak we’ve experienced.
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH
Forty-one states and Washington, DC, experienced a spike in exemptions, and 24 states saw more than 5% of their kindergarten students exempted. The steady creep of vaccine exemptions could lead to more outbreaks.
“The reason we managed to eliminate measles in the United States is because we overcame how infectious the virus is with very high rates of vaccination,” Marrazzo said. “If you can’t immunize the majority of people—and the majority of people is probably close to 94%, 95%, depending on which model you use—you can’t really get ahead of that intense rate of transmission.”
Feds send confusing messages
The press release accompanying the data suggests that parents talk with their doctors about vaccination but didn’t discuss the importance of routine vaccination in limiting the spread of illness.
“The statement is a pathetic shadow of what the CDC should be saying about vaccines in the context of the biggest measles outbreak we’ve experienced … in recent memory,” Marrazzo said. “It leaves parents in this incredibly nebulous, uninformed, insecure area, and I was actually frankly mortified when I saw it.”
This follows more than a year of confusing communications about vaccines from the federal government.
In January, the Department of Health and Human Services reduced the recommended number of vaccines from 17 to 11, with the six being recommended for children at high risk. A federal judge blocked those changes in March.
What I would really like to convey to people is that physicians have your back.
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH
Last week President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “break up” the MMR vaccine into individual shots and recommend that children receive one per visit. No evidence supports these measures, which would mean more doctors’ visits and higher costs for families.
Marrazzo said that parents seeking reliable information on vaccines should turn to organizations such as the AAP, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, IDSA, and the American College of Physicians.
“If you look at the guidance of every single one of those groups, you’re going to see consistency,” she said. “What I would really like to convey to people is that physicians have your back.”
US kindergarten vaccine exemptions jumped last school year, CDC reports
Meghan Holohan
Today at 5:19 p.m.
Childhood Vaccines
Anti-science
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
More kindergarten students (4.2%) were exempted from at least one vaccination during the 2025-26 school year than in the previous year (3.6%), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday.The increase in vaccine exemptions could mean more infectious disease outbreaks.
“We should be worried, because we’re already seeing the consequences of declines in vaccination. All you have to do is look at measles,” Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), told CIDRAP News. “The less we see people taking up vaccinations, the more we’re going to see these cases accumulate.”
Lower uptake than needed for herd immunity
During the 2025-26 school year, an estimated 280,000 children started kindergarten without proof that they completed the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine series. In total, 92.4% of kindergarteners received it—below the proportion needed to prevent measles from spreading in the community.
“More than a quarter of a million children started kindergarten last year without protection from the MMR vaccine,” Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said yesterday in a statement. “For some diseases like measles, even a small decrease in vaccination rates can lead to more outbreaks of disease because community immunity requires over 95% of susceptible individuals to be immunized.”
A similar percentage of kindergarteners as that receiving the MMR vaccine received the diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine (92%). “When it comes to vaccination rates, however, anything less than achieving an A+ grade is not good enough,” Racine said.
The statement is a pathetic shadow of what the CDC should be saying about vaccines in the context of the biggest measles outbreak we’ve experienced.
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH
Forty-one states and Washington, DC, experienced a spike in exemptions, and 24 states saw more than 5% of their kindergarten students exempted. The steady creep of vaccine exemptions could lead to more outbreaks.
“The reason we managed to eliminate measles in the United States is because we overcame how infectious the virus is with very high rates of vaccination,” Marrazzo said. “If you can’t immunize the majority of people—and the majority of people is probably close to 94%, 95%, depending on which model you use—you can’t really get ahead of that intense rate of transmission.”
Feds send confusing messages
The press release accompanying the data suggests that parents talk with their doctors about vaccination but didn’t discuss the importance of routine vaccination in limiting the spread of illness.
“The statement is a pathetic shadow of what the CDC should be saying about vaccines in the context of the biggest measles outbreak we’ve experienced … in recent memory,” Marrazzo said. “It leaves parents in this incredibly nebulous, uninformed, insecure area, and I was actually frankly mortified when I saw it.”
This follows more than a year of confusing communications about vaccines from the federal government.
In January, the Department of Health and Human Services reduced the recommended number of vaccines from 17 to 11, with the six being recommended for children at high risk. A federal judge blocked those changes in March.
What I would really like to convey to people is that physicians have your back.
Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH
Last week President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “break up” the MMR vaccine into individual shots and recommend that children receive one per visit. No evidence supports these measures, which would mean more doctors’ visits and higher costs for families.
Marrazzo said that parents seeking reliable information on vaccines should turn to organizations such as the AAP, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, IDSA, and the American College of Physicians.
“If you look at the guidance of every single one of those groups, you’re going to see consistency,” she said. “What I would really like to convey to people is that physicians have your back.”