Jessica Fichtel is baffled by her neighbors’ decision not to vaccinate their children, which puts her son at risk of contracting measles. Fichtel’s then-6-year-old son, Kai, was battling childhood leukemia during the 2019 measles outbreak in Vancouver, Washington, and was particularly vulnerable to the disease. The outbreak led to 71 cases in four months, and health officials revealed that only 78% of children in Clark County, where Vancouver is located, were vaccinated, falling well below the CDC’s recommended 95% threshold for community protection against measles. Fichtel personally knew families in her neighborhood who chose not to vaccinate their children, putting Kai, who couldn’t be vaccinated due to his weakened immune system, at risk.
The CBS News investigation found that there are at least 8,500 schools across the U.S. with measles vaccination rates among kindergartners below the 95% threshold recommended by the CDC, which raises concerns for parents nationwide. The declining vaccination rates among school-age children are causing worry among scientists and doctors, as it increases the risk of measles infections. Notably, cases of measles were identified in Philadelphia, and 82 children in Ohio contracted measles in 2022. According to Matt Ferrari, a biologist and infectious disease researcher at Penn State University, a high vaccination rate is essential for maintaining herd immunity and preventing outbreaks, which provides indirect protection to individuals who cannot be vaccinated.
The analysis of CDC data by CBS News revealed that around 93% of kindergarteners in the U.S. were vaccinated against measles during the 2021-2022 school year, down from 95% previously. Additionally, the vaccination rates in many schools affected by the Clark County outbreak were significantly lower, with nine out of 16 schools and daycares having rates below 90%, some as low as 50%. A similar drop in vaccination rates was observed in New York City during its own measles outbreak, where 649 people contracted the disease, prompting authorities to enforce vaccination requirements and conduct public education campaigns to contain the outbreak. Although vaccination rates initially increased in response to the outbreak, the CDC data indicates a decline to about 96.6% from 98.8% in 2018, raising concerns about the ongoing trend.
The decline in vaccination rates can be attributed to various factors, including political influences, misinformation, mistrust in government, and fear of vaccines. According to CDC data, 7% of kindergarteners were unvaccinated during the 2021-2022 school year, with approximately 2.6% having exemptions, while the remaining 4% either complied later or completed their vaccinations after the recorded data. In Maine, the increase in parents claiming religious exemptions led to half of the schools falling below the 95% herd immunity threshold. However, efforts from religious and medical organizations, along with legislative action, resulted in a significant reduction in exemptions and schools below the herd immunity threshold.
Despite increased vaccinations during the 2019 outbreak in Clark County, Washington, the vaccination rate has returned to its previous level, leaving many students unprotected. Nearly two-thirds of schools across the state have vaccination rates below 95%, posing a risk to approximately 53,000 students. This situation raises concerns for parents like Fichtel, who cannot comprehend why some people choose not to vaccinate, putting vulnerable individuals at risk.
