Article Summary –
Michigan’s K-12 student vaccination rates have significantly declined between 2015 and 2023, with many elementary and middle schools falling below the critical 70% threshold, thereby increasing the risk of outbreaks of contagious diseases such as measles, mumps, and chicken pox. Public health officials attribute this decline to the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption of regular healthcare visits and the spread of vaccine misinformation, and they are concerned about the potential spread of diseases to vulnerable populations. Despite state requirements for vaccination proof, there has been a rise in nonmedical vaccine waivers, and current immunization waiver rates are the highest since 2013, which poses a significant public health risk.
As Michigan’s K-12 students return to school this fall, state vaccination data shows an increased risk of spreading contagious diseases like measles, mumps, and chickenpox.
Between 2015 and 2023, Michigan elementary schools with kindergarten vaccination rates below 70% rose from 86 to 109. Middle schools saw a similar rise, with seventh-grade vaccination rates below 70% jumping from 48 to 110 during the same period.
These figures fall short of the 95% guideline set by the CDC for community protection against diseases. Public health officials express concern over the potential spread of preventable diseases to vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and infants.
“When rates in a community decline, that’s when everyone is put at risk,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive, urging parents to get children vaccinated during an Aug. 27 press briefing.
Vaccination rates in Michigan began to drop at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, exacerbated by subsequent misinformation, Bagdasarian explained.
State law mandates parents of kindergartners, seventh graders, or transfer students provide vaccination proof upon school enrollment. However, since 2021, vaccine waivers have increased, allowing exemptions for religious, medical, or philosophical reasons.
In 2023, immunization waiver rates rose to 5.7% — the highest since 2013 — predominantly for nonmedical reasons, according to state data. Private schools reported more waivers and lower vaccination rates than public schools.
Vaccination rates are even lower for children aged 19-36 months, with rates below 70% in more than half the state as of July 2024.
Veronica McNally, president of the Franny Strong Foundation and founder of the I Vaccinate campaign, lost her 12-week-old daughter to whooping cough in 2012. “Vaccinations are our best protection against vaccine-preventable diseases,” McNally stated.
Michigan has seen a resurgence in measles cases, with seven reported in 2024 alone, despite the disease being declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Bagdasarian noted that about half of these cases were children, often unvaccinated, and some involved out-of-state travel. Measles symptoms include high fever and rash, and the disease can be fatal.
Bagdasarian emphasized the importance of vaccinations that have safeguarded communities for generations.
“These are the same vaccines that many of us received as children,” she said. “Diseases that have been eliminated could return if we don’t take action.”
—
Read More Michigan News
