CDC: Vaccination exemption levels low, infant vaccination rates high

NEW YORK — Vaccine exemption levels for kindergarteners are low for most states and infant vaccination rates are high nationwide, according to the week’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State exemption levels among children entering kindergarten for the 2014-2015 school year ranged from less than 0.1% in Mississippi to 6.5% in Idaho. Although  five states did not meet the reporting standards for providing exemption data, national exemption levels have a median level of 1.7%.

The report also revealed that vaccination coverage among children aged 19 months through 35 months remained high for 2014. Over 90% of children received measles-mumps-rubella, polio, hepatitis B and varicella vaccines, while less than 1% did not receive vaccinations at all.

“Collaborative efforts are the reason our nation has been able to achieve such high coverage nationally, but much work is still needed to shield our schools and communities from future outbreaks,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said.

From 2013 to 2014, 21 states provided vaccination data, up from 18 states in 2013.