The share of children who are ‘exempt’ from having their school vaccinations is rising as antivax anxiety grips American parents.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows for the 2021-2022 school year, 2.6 percent of kindergarteners in the US had a vaccine exemption, an increase from 2.2 percent for the prior school year.
Non-medical exemptions, those based on a parent’s religious or philosophical beliefs are mainly behind the rise, suggesting that genuine health issues are not to blame.
The five states with the highest kindergartener vaccination exemption rates are Idaho (9.8 percent), Utah (7.4 percent), Oregon (7 percent), Arizona (6.8 percent) and Wisconsin (6.3 percent).
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Alexa Lardieri 