The challenge of maintaining high vaccination rates is increasingly fraught with difficulties. Health experts point to mixed messages from officials and rampant misinformation as prime contributors to the drop in vaccination uptake, particularly in rural counties where access to health care is already constrained.
Dr. Doug Campos-Outcalt from the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine emphasizes the confusion faced by the general public: “For a person who’s not trained in medicine, science, or public health, it’s a confusing mix of messages they receive, and they don’t have any good way to sort it out.”
Further complicating the scenario are public statements from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressing skepticism about vaccines, which alarm public health officials.
James Hodge from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law observes, “Before, anti-vaccinations were sort of the minority group within society. … This is government leaders expressing significant doubts and concerns about the safety and efficiency of vaccines.”
Financial support for vaccination initiatives has also been impacted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have retracted $11.4 billion in COVID-related funding, affecting vaccine services and over a dozen clinics in Pima County, which had previously partnered with community organizations to distribute tests and conduct outreach.
Pima County had been utilizing grants aimed at addressing health disparities and ensuring vaccine equity. According to Public Health Director Theresa Cullen, these resources were slated to last through 2026, supporting diverse community health initiatives.
“If you pull federal funds for vaccines, parents can’t afford these things. Millions of children each year in the United States get vaccinated for preventable conditions solely because the vaccines are free, largely because the federal government has the resources to provide that,” notes Hodge.
The cessation of funding is expected to diminish vaccine clinics and outreach efforts, particularly in rural areas, which are already underserved.
In Arizona, counties such as Gila, Navajo, Mohave, and Yavapai exhibit lower vaccination rates compared to regions like Gaines County, Texas, where a measles outbreak is ongoing. Meanwhile, Maricopa and Pima counties achieved a 90% vaccination rate for MMR in the 2022-2023 school year.
On a national level, the CDC reports 884 measles cases as of April 24, amid declining vaccination rates among young children. The prior school year saw roughly 280,000 students unvaccinated for measles, as highlighted by Kaiser.
The CDC has found that less than 93% of kindergarteners have received all state-required vaccines in the 2023-2024 school year, a decline from 95% before the pandemic.
A CDC report outlines that 8.5% of Arizona’s kindergartners used exemptions to avoid vaccinations last school year. Arizona provides a relatively straightforward exemption process involving a “personal beliefs” form.
Ashley Chambers of Arizona Families for Vaccines comments, “We already have one of the easiest exemption processes for school kids, but it doesn’t seem like that’s enough anymore,” and warns that the anti-vaccine movement continues to push boundaries.
The organization is dedicated to legislative education rather than public outreach, with Brandi Giles leading immunization education. Reflecting on her ICU experience during COVID, Giles says, “I definitely saw more deaths than one human would normally see.” She fears a resurgence of preventable diseases could overwhelm health systems again.
For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.
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