The measles is a dangerous disease that’s highly contagious and among the leading causes of death for children worldwide. Children who contract measles are at a higher risk of being hospitalized. Even with these dangers, measles vaccination has been in decline over the past few years, a worrying trend highlighted in this study from PARequirements. Rates have declined from 95% of kindergartners vaccinated to 93%, a sharp decline. As of April 2025, there have been 16 measles outbreaks, compared to 12 outbreaks in all of 2024. This clearly indicates that a lack of vaccinations is impacting public health. Vaccinations can eradicate communicable diseases, which is why rising numbers of people opting out are a cause for concern. Fewer vaccinated people mean a lowered herd immunity and a greater spread worldwide. In 2000, the U.S. was measles-free, but international travel and people opting out of the vaccine have reintroduced it to the U.S. once again. Each state has varying laws regarding the vaccines required for admission to public school and its own rules about exemptions. Children can be exempt for medical and non-medical reasons. Some children have underlying health concerns that make vaccines unsafe for them, but many states allow exemptions based on religious, personal, and philosophical reasons. While these exemptions were issued in the name of individual freedom, we’ve also seen the risk of deadly disease increase. Examining the team’s map, we can draw connections between exemption laws and vaccination rates. For example, Louisiana and Minnesota don’t require any reason to decline a vaccine, and they have relatively higher rates of unvaccinated kindergartners. Compare this to five states that don’t allow exemptions, New York, Maine, West Virginia, California, and Connecticut, and you’ll see much lower rates of unvaccinated kindergartners. Studies like this one are a powerful tool for combating public health crises. Science and education are the best tools we have to make the public comfortable with receiving vaccines.
