The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported a further decrease in vaccination rates among US kindergarteners, with national MMR coverage dropping to 92.4%.

This marks the third consecutive year of decline since 2019-2020, when rates were at around 95%, critical for herd immunity. The DTaP vaccine rate also fell from 92.1% to 92.0%.

Alarmingly, more than half the states saw a decrease in vaccination coverage for key vaccines like MMR and polio. Only ten states achieved or surpassed the crucial 95% threshold.

In contrast, exemptions based on personal or religious beliefs have risen to 4%, up from 3.2% last year. Medical exemptions remain stable at 0.2%.