Under RFK Jr, CDC skips study on vaccination rates, quietly posts data on drop

The vaccination rates for kindergartners across the United States have experienced yet another decline, with coverage for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine dipping from 92.7% in the 2023-2024 school year to 92.5% in 2024-2025. While these fluctuations may seem minor, they translate to thousands of children becoming increasingly vulnerable to preventable diseases, heightening the risk of outbreaks. Currently, an estimated 286,000 young children are not fully immunized against measles. Alarmingly, the nation has witnessed a surge in measles outbreaks, with case numbers in 2025 already surpassing any totals since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. The situation has reached a 33-year high for reported cases, underscoring a concerning trend that undermines public health efforts to control infectious diseases. Back in the 2019-2020 school year, 95% of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles and other serious childhood illnesses, such as polio. This 95% threshold is considered critical by health experts, as it helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases within communities. However, during the pandemic, vaccination rates began to decline, dropping to 93.9% MMR coverage in the 2020-2021 academic year, and the numbers have continued to slide since then. While disruptions due to the pandemic may have contributed to decreased immunization rates, the influence of anti-vaccine sentiments and misinformation has become increasingly evident as vaccination coverage continues to fall, even as access to vaccines has largely returned to normal. For the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, nonmedical exemptions for childhood vaccinations have reached a new peak, fueled by ideological beliefs and the rising impact of anti-vaccine advocates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is currently serving as health secretary.