Jessica Fichtel wonders why her neighbors decided not to vaccinate their kids, putting her son at risk of getting measles and jeopardizing his life while he was undergoing chemotherapy to fight childhood leukemia during the measles outbreak in Vancouver in 2019. During that time, 78% of children in Clark County, where Vancouver is located, were vaccinated, well below the CDC’s recommended 95% threshold for protecting a community from measles. Fichtel knew of families in her neighborhood who opted not to vaccinate their children, some of whom played with her son, Kai, who couldn’t be vaccinated due to his compromised immune system. 
An investigation found at least 8,500 schools with measles vaccination rates below the CDC’s 95% threshold in 19 states and communities. Pennsylvania State University researcher Matt Ferrari expressed concern over the nationwide decline in vaccinations, warning that more people could be at risk of measles. Communities need high vaccination rates to maintain herd immunity and prevent outbreaks. In the U.S., the vaccination rate for kindergarteners dropped to 93% during the 2021-2022 school year, down from 95% a few years prior. The lower vaccination rates in many communities resulted in outbreaks, with some schools having rates as low as 50%. 
New York City experienced its own measles outbreak, with 649 people contracting measles before it was brought under control. The city’s public health commissioner emphasized the importance of using every tool to combat the outbreak and addressing the trend of declining childhood vaccination rates. 
Experts attribute the declining vaccination rates to political influences, misinformation, mistrust in the government, and fear of vaccines. In Maine, the share of schools below the herd immunity threshold decreased from 50% to 20% after a law eliminating religious exemptions was passed. Unfortunately, almost two-thirds of schools in Washington state have vaccination rates below 95%, leaving thousands of students unprotected. This leaves children like Kai at risk, as his mother struggles to comprehend why others wouldn’t get vaccinated to protect vulnerable individuals. U.S. troops killed in drone strike identifiedWhy U.S. journalism is facing an uncertain futureSeveral major U.S. companies announce layoffs, office mandates
