Immunization rates for measles, polio and other diseases once again dropped among kindergartners last school year, a trend public health officials warn puts kids at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.
About 93% of kindergartners during the 2021-22 school year completed vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella; diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis; polio; and chickenpox. The coverage dropped nearly 1% from 2020-21 and about 2% from the year before the COVID-19 pandemic started, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released Thursday.
The study did not track the number of kids who received COVID-19 vaccines or boosters.
Public health officials said the report showed school-age vaccination rates worsened during the pandemic as families missed doctor’s visits and school routines were disrupted. But another CDC study, also released Thursday, reported vaccination rates among 2-year-olds were similar to pre-pandemic levels