VIRGINIA NEWS – Virginia and District schools struggle with dropping vaccination rates amid push for exceptions

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Vaccination rates among kindergarteners have declined nationally, with coverage for state-required vaccines dropping from 95% in the 2019-2020 school year to 93% in 2023-2024. At the same time, exceptions for vaccinations have increased in 41 jurisdictions, with 14 reporting over 5% of children exempted from one or more vaccines.

In the DMV area, coverage rates for the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine have fallen below 95%, a critical threshold for herd immunity. In Washington, D.C., coverage for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccines has also dropped below 95%, as has polio vaccine coverage in both D.C. and Virginia.

Public health experts and pediatricians are increasingly alarmed, warning of the heightened risk of outbreaks as vaccination rates continue to decline.