Childhood vaccination rates have dropped again, CDC data shows
The report comes at a time when public health experts are particularly concerned about childhood vaccinations because of increasing skepticism of the shots, including among top health officials. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, has questioned, without scientific basis, the safety of many childhood vaccines, including those for measles, hepatitis B, and polio.
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In June, a panel of vaccine advisers installed by Kennedy announced that they would closely scrutinize the immunization schedules for children and adolescents. Kennedy's appointees have also restricted access to the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy pregnant women and children.
The messaging from Kennedy's office seems 'specifically designed to sow distrust in vaccines,' said Dr. Sean O'Leary, chair of the infectious disease committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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'The good news is the majority of parents are still vaccinating their kids,' he said. But it is concerning that rates have dropped, he said, 'because that really matters in terms of spread of disease.'
In a statement, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the federal health department, said the CDC was committed to making vaccines accessible and raising awareness about their efficacy, but also emphasized that 'the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.'
Immunization rates for the vaccine that protects against measles had, for years, held steady at 95 percent, the level needed to stop the disease from spreading in a community. It dipped during the 2020-21 school year to 93.9 percent and has continued to decline each year. In 2024-25, 92.5 percent of kindergartners had received the shots.
Vaccination rates for polio also fell to 92.5 percent last year from 95% at the start of the pandemic.
The percentage changes may seem small, but they represent large numbers. During the last school year, about 286,000 children entered kindergarten without documentation of receiving the two measles shots required for full protection against the disease, according to the CDC.
Vaccinations are not evenly spread across the country. There are many vulnerable parts of the country where coverage is far lower than 93 percent, including West Texas, where the large measles outbreak began.
'You can have a city that has a 98 percent vaccination rate but have a community in that city that has a 60 percent rate,' Ratner said. 'I think the fear is that we have more of those now.'
Vaccinations against pertussis, or whooping cough, have also steadily declined since the pandemic, falling to just over 92 percent last year, from 94.9 percent in the 2019-20 school year.
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There were more than 32,000 cases of whooping cough in 2024, the highest tally in a decade. In California alone, the disease struck 2,000 people, including an infant who died, between January and October 2024.
The number of children granted medical exemptions for shots otherwise required to start public school in many states has remained flat over the years. But nonmedical exemptions nationwide have spiked to 3.6 percent in the last school year from 2 percent a decade ago.
Exemptions increased in 36 states and Washington, D.C., with 17 states reporting exemptions exceeding 5 percent, according to the CDC.
Disruptions during the pandemic derailed immunizations across the world. But vaccination rates have not recovered since then, as many public health experts had hoped they would.
Globally, vaccination for measles fell to 68 percent during the pandemic. Intensive efforts have improved the coverage somewhat, but by the end of last year, only 76 percent of children worldwide had received two measles shots.
Some vaccine skepticism long predates the pandemic. Anti-vaccine campaigns have often targeted the measles vaccine, falsely linking it to autism. That's especially concerning to public health experts, because the virus is extraordinarily contagious and can rapidly tear through pockets of low immunization, as it has in Texas and neighboring states.
The United States endured the consequences of falling vaccination rates once before. In the late 1980s, public health budget cuts by the Reagan administration brought down vaccination rates, particularly among low-income Black and Hispanic children.
From 1989 through 1991, measles infected more than 55,000 Americans and killed 166. Infection can cause long-term harms, making people more vulnerable to other infections.
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A 2015 study estimated that before widespread vaccination, measles may have accounted for as many as half of all infectious disease deaths in children.
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Fungus labeled 'urgent threat' by CDC is spreading rapidly, hospital study finds Eventually, those who were sick or at risk of carrying the plague were isolated and put into quarantine, much like guidance issued during the COVID pandemic. A vaccine in the late 19th century, improved sanitation, better health practices and modern antibiotics have been credited with helping to stop the spread of the plague when it pops up. The U.S. now sees about seven cases annually, on average, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization says most human cases over the last three decades have been in Africa. When cases do occur in the U.S., they're primarily in the West, with most reported in New Mexico and Arizona. Cases have also appeared within the region of southern Oregon, far western Nevada, and California. U.S. cases are, most often, bubonic. There are three main forms of the plague: bubonic (the most common during Europe's Black Death), septicemic, and pneumonic. Generally speaking, plague is brought on by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, with humans and mammals being affected. 'Quiet cracking' is the newest term for a workplace problem — and it's 'pretty pervasive,' expert says The three types of plague present with different symptoms and are caused by different things. Bubonic plague is caused by the bites of fleas that are mostly found on rodents. Symptoms of bubonic plague, the Cleveland Clinic explains, include a sudden high fever; chills; headaches; pain in the abdomen, arms, and legs; and large, swollen lymph nodes that can leak pus. While the bacteria will multiply in the lymph node where it entered the body, it's capable of spreading to other parts of the body if not treated with antibiotics. Septicemic plague has similar symptoms to bubonic plague, including fever, chills, extreme weakness, pain in the abdomen, shock, and the possibility of bleeding into the skin and other organs, the CDC explains. This form of plague can develop from untreated bubonic plague as well as from the handling of infected animals. Should a person with bubonic or septicemic plague go without treatment, and the bacteria reach their lungs, they can develop pneumonic plague. A person can also get pneumonic plague from breathing in 'droplets coughed out by another person or animal with pneumonic plague,' according to the CDC. Like other forms of plague, a person infected with pneumonic plague may develop a fever, headache, weakness, and pneumonia, with the latter developing 'rapidly.' While bubonic and septicemic plague may take a few days to set in, the incubation period for pneumonic plague may be just over a day, the CDC reports. It's the only form that can be spread person-to-person, and it is considered the most serious form of the disease. Between 2020 and 2023, the CDC reported 15 human plague cases were reported. Of those, three died. As the Cleveland Clinic explains, plague has to be treated with antibiotics as quickly as possible — taking antibiotics within 24 hours of symptoms gives you 'the best chance of getting better.' You could begin feeling better within a week or two, as long as you receive treatment, according to health experts. Regardless of the type of plague, about 90% survive with quick treatment. Untreated, 'plague is nearly always fatal,' the Cleveland Clinic said. Health officials have not said how the Arizona resident who died earlier this year of the pneumonic plague became infected. Oregon's case of bubonic plague last year was believed to be brought on by a pet cat. In recent years, Colorado has reported a cat testing positive for septicemic plague and a cat, two prairie dog colonies, and a squirrel testing positive for bubonic plague. Infected fleas are largely to blame for plague cases that occur in the U.S. today, but the handling of infected animals – like cats, rabbits, rats, mice, and squirrels, according to New York's Department of Health – has also been known to lead to the plague. To avoid getting the plague, it's recommended that you take steps to avoid flea bites. That includes wearing bug spray with DEET and clearing up spaces outside where the wild animals fleas love may live. It's also important to speak with your veterinarian about preventing fleas on your pets. Your pets should also not be allowed to roam outdoors freely if you live in an area prone to the plague.
