Nov 13, 2023 03:55 AM
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-ne...rcna124363
INTRO: The number of kids whose caregivers are opting them out of routine childhood vaccines has reached an all-time high, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of children unprotected against preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.
The report did not dive into the reasons for the increase, but experts said the findings clearly reflect Americans' growing unease about medicine in general.
"There is a rising distrust in the health care system," said Dr. Amna Husain, a pediatrician in private practice in North Carolina, as well as a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Vaccine exemptions "have unfortunately trended upward with it."
The CDC report found that 3% of children entering kindergarten during the 2022-2023 school year were granted a vaccine exemption from their state. This is the highest exemption rate ever reported in the U.S.
Forty states saw rises in exemptions. In 10 states — Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin — the exemption rate soared over 5%.
"This is quite a jump," said Ranee Seither, a CDC epidemiologist and author of the new report. Just three years ago, Seither said, only two states had an exemption rate of more than 5%.
Idaho was a standout in the new report. More than 12% of children entering kindergarten in that state had a vaccine exemption in 2022... (MORE - details)
INTRO: The number of kids whose caregivers are opting them out of routine childhood vaccines has reached an all-time high, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of children unprotected against preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.
The report did not dive into the reasons for the increase, but experts said the findings clearly reflect Americans' growing unease about medicine in general.
"There is a rising distrust in the health care system," said Dr. Amna Husain, a pediatrician in private practice in North Carolina, as well as a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Vaccine exemptions "have unfortunately trended upward with it."
The CDC report found that 3% of children entering kindergarten during the 2022-2023 school year were granted a vaccine exemption from their state. This is the highest exemption rate ever reported in the U.S.
Forty states saw rises in exemptions. In 10 states — Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin — the exemption rate soared over 5%.
"This is quite a jump," said Ranee Seither, a CDC epidemiologist and author of the new report. Just three years ago, Seither said, only two states had an exemption rate of more than 5%.
Idaho was a standout in the new report. More than 12% of children entering kindergarten in that state had a vaccine exemption in 2022... (MORE - details)