Overview
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated SchoolVaxView on Aug. 17 to show 92.4% of kindergartners completed the two-dose MMR series and about 280,000 children lack documentation of completion.
- Nonmedical exemptions rose to 4.2% of kindergartners, equal to roughly 155,000 children, and exemption rates increased in 41 states with 24 states now above 5%.
- Coverage fell for every routine childhood vaccine tracked by the CDC in 2025–2026, including polio at 92.4% and DTaP at 92%, extending declines that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Public health officials say the lower coverage and clustered pockets of unvaccinated children are driving the largest U.S. measles surge in more than 30 years and are straining local contact-tracing and health resources.
- A recent White House executive order proposing changes to federal vaccine guidance has provoked state pushback and could add confusion for parents as officials prepare for a PAHO review of U.S. measles-elimination status in November 2026.