Childhood Vaccination Rates Decline Across the U.S.

Why this matters: Falling vaccination rates threaten to reverse decades of progress in eradicating deadly childhood diseases. This puts entire communities at risk, especially children with compromised immune systems and those too young to be vaccinated.

Background

For decades, vaccines have been a cornerstone of public health, successfully eliminating or significantly reducing the incidence of many devastating childhood diseases. However, recent trends indicate a dangerous reversal, with vaccination rates declining across the country.

Factors Contributing to the Decline

Several factors contribute to this decline:

Regional Trends

While the decline in vaccination rates is a national issue, some regions are more affected than others. For example, St. Louis has experienced a significant drop in vaccination rates among kindergartners. In the DC area, Alexandria, VA, saw a concerning decrease in MMR vaccination rates, falling below the herd immunity threshold. Meanwhile, Washington D.C. has achieved big gains through targeted outreach programs.

Impact on Communities

Declining vaccination rates put communities at risk for outbreaks of preventable diseases like measles, whooping cough, and polio. These outbreaks can overwhelm healthcare systems, disrupt schools and businesses, and lead to serious illness and death, especially among vulnerable populations.

How to Prepare

Who This Affects Most

Data and Trends

The NBC News data investigation, in collaboration with Stanford University, gathered data from state governments and public records, revealing that 77% of counties and jurisdictions in the U.S. have reported notable declines in childhood vaccination rates since 2019. In addition, as many as 53% of counties and jurisdictions saw exemption rates more than double from their first year of collecting data to the most recent. Among the states collecting data for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, 68% of counties and jurisdictions now have immunization rates below 95% — the level of herd immunity doctors say is needed to protect against an outbreak.

Herd immunity occurs when a large percentage of a population is immune to a disease, making it difficult for the disease to spread.

Unvaccinated children are at a higher risk of contracting preventable diseases, which can lead to serious complications and even death. They also pose a risk to others in the community, especially those who cannot be vaccinated.

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