The number of parents in the U.S. choosing not to vaccinate their children rose dramatically in the last school year, according to data released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
\n\nAll states require certain vaccines for children entering public school. During the 2025-26 school year, 4.2% of kindergarteners, about 155,000 kids, had at least one vaccine exemption, up from 3.6% the previous school year. The vast majority of those exemptions were labeled as “non-medical,” meaning that parents or caregivers were opting out of the shots for personal or religious, rather than health, reasons. Medical exemptions remained stable at .2%.
\n\nLast week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to drive down the number of vaccines recommended for kids, a move that drew widespread criticism from pediatricians and public health advocates.
\n\nHowever, the new data reflects a trend of families resisting school vaccine requirements that began during the height of the Covid pandemic.
\n\nForty-one states and Washington, D.C., reported increases in exemptions, according to the CDC.
\n\nThe rise is “disappointing, but not surprising,” said Dr. David Margolius, director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health. “It’s indicative of the lack of clear messaging at the national level about…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health