(ConservativeHub.com) – On Thursday, November 9, new federal data showed that the number of kindergartners whose parents opted out of the school-required vaccinations was now at record-high levels.
As reported by The Hill, the lower percentage of kids who are receiving routine vaccination for diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) has meant that there is an increased chance of outbreaks of these diseases.
The news outlet states that last winter in Ohio, there was a measles outbreak. The outbreak reportedly brought the risks of not completing the necessary MMR vaccinations in children to the spotlight. The CDC also found that the majority of cases, 94 percent, had occurred in children who were unvaccinated and under 5 years old. This is the class of children who became eligible to receive the necessary vaccination during the 2020 health emergency.
Different states and the District of Columbia have strict requirements for children to be vaccinated against certain diseases prior to starting school. These include chickenpox, whooping cough, polio, tetanus, mumps, and measles.
The CDC report notes that having large groups of children who remain unvaccinated could result in outbreaks. It is reportedly important for schools and providers to ensure the immunization of the children before they are allowed to enter schools and the “provisional enrollment periods expire.”
The coverage across the nation for all vaccines remains at 93 percent which is lower than the one in the 2020-21 school year, when it was 94 percent. In 2019-20, the coverage was 95 percent.
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