Overview
- The CDC posted data Monday showing 4.2% of U.S. kindergartners — about 155,000 children — had at least one vaccine exemption in 2025–2026 while national coverage dipped roughly 0.1 percentage point to about 92.4% for MMR and polio and 92.0% for DTaP.
- Exemptions rose in 41 states and Washington, D.C., with 24 states reporting rates above 5%, and MMR coverage varied widely by state from roughly 98.9% to about 75.2%, creating local pockets at higher risk of outbreaks.
- The vast majority of the increase was for nonmedical reasons; medical exemptions remained steady near 0.2%, and about 280,000 kindergartners lacked documentation of a completed two-dose MMR series.
- The rise in exemptions coincides with a large measles surge in 2026 — about 2,566 confirmed cases so far, most in unvaccinated people — and could influence the Pan American Health Organization’s November review of U.S. measles-elimination status.
- A recent White House executive order proposing a reduced childhood schedule and separate MMR component shots has intensified debate, but states set school vaccine rules and experts say federal moves and mixed messaging could deepen confusion and undermine uptake.