Most kindergartners in the United States are now up to date on their vaccines, according to findings from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The report compiled kindergarten vaccination assessments provided by 47 states and the District of Columbia. Data showed that vaccinations for diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis, poliovirus and hepatitis B were all at or above the Healthy People 2020 target of 95 percent or greater. Vaccination coverage for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and varicella were lower, with a median 94.8 percent coverage for MMR and 93.2 percent for varicella.
Vaccination coverage among school children is a vital step in preventing outbreaks of disease, according to the report. And while the overall coverage rates were high, aggregated numbers have the potential to mask pockets of low coverage at the local level.
The average nonmedical exception level, for instance, was 1.2 percent. But Oregon was the highest reported state in exemption, at 5.8 percent.
— Breanna Hostbjor, The Bulletin