Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of schoolchildren who don’t get vaccines has gone up a lot in more than half of US counties. This has made more people vulnerable to diseases that can be prevented, like measles. This trend, which is mostly caused by nonmedical reasons like personal or religious beliefs, makes outbreaks more likely as the number of measles cases rises across the country.
A JAMA study found that the number of kindergartners who did not have to go to school for medical reasons rose from 0.6% in 2010–2011 to more than 3% in 2021–2022. Medical exemptions stayed the same. Almost 90% of counties had enough data to show that national averages hide local danger zones where low vaccination rates lead to outbreaks. Experts say that even small drops in coverage can lead to big outbreaks.
Dr. Jesse Hackell, a pediatrician in New York, says that nonmedical exemptions should end because of misinformation and changes in politics, not science. Dr. Nathan Lo from Stanford says that county-level patterns, not just state trends, can help us predict when flare-ups will happen. More than 96% of parents still get their kids vaccinated, which is a social norm that protects children.
Counties in states like California, Connecticut, Maine, and New York, which didn’t allow nonmedical exemptions, saw fewer exemptions overall and more people getting vaccinated. Florida’s recent decision to get rid of school mandates is the opposite of this, which could make the risks worse. Changes to the law are still the best solution, along with talks between doctors and families.
