According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), routine vaccinations for kindergarten in the U.S. fell to 93% during the 2021-2022 school year. That's the second year in a row routine vaccination rates decreased. The vaccines help prevent potentially fatal or severe illnesses, including diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis) and others.
The CDC says there are several reasons for the decline, including the possibility that misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines may have played a role.
"It can be confusing if you're a parent and you're looking for information about routine vaccines because there's a lot of great information online. But there's also a lot of misinformation. And sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases physician with the Mayo Clinic Children's Center.
