Record High: US Kindergartners' Vaccination Exemptions Soar, CDC Reports

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that a record number of American kindergarten students started school last year with exemptions from required vaccines, with vaccination coverage remaining lower than pre-pandemic levels. The report found that vaccination exemptions increased to 3% of kindergarten students, the highest rate ever reported in the country, and the majority of these exemptions were not for medical reasons. While the report did not determine the exact reasons for the increase in nonmedical exemptions, it comes at a time when vaccine hesitancy remains high, potentially influenced by anti-vaccine activists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC emphasizes the importance of ensuring children are fully vaccinated to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases.