As health officials attempt to prevent significant outbreaks of illnesses like RSV and COVID-19 this winter, childhood vaccinations coverage has once again begun to noticeably fall throughout the US.
Recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the percentage of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines for kindergarteners has decreased to 93 percent, which is below the healthy goal rate of 95 percent for the second year in a row.
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Even while this is a little drop, it is the lowest MMR rate recorded in over a decade, and it leaves around 250,000 schoolchildren unvaccinated and defenseless against measles, one of the most dangerous diseases in the world.
Though certain elements connected to the COVID-19 pandemic may be at work, it’s still too early to determine the exact explanation of this reduction.
We do know that early in the epidemic, some kids skipped certain visits or put off getting primary care, which may have had a role. And some children may not have fully made up for those missed visits, according to Elizabeth Williams, senior policy analyst and co-author of the brief at KFF’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured.
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Measles Threat Amidst Vaccination Decline
Williams said that vaccination reluctance may possibly play a role, but he emphasized that further research is necessary to identify the exact explanation.
Williams referred to a 2 percent decline as a “blip,” while it has little overall impact and still moves the US farther away from its Healthy People 2030 objective of 95 percent coverage, which is thought to be sufficient to create herd immunity against communicable diseases.
William’s report spent a lot of time talking about MMR shots, which are essential given how dangerous measles can be. One sick person may transmit the illness to nine out of ten close contacts who are unvaccinated, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
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