1-17-23 kindergartener vaccination rates down

Vaccination rates for U.S. kindergarteners are down again, and federal officials are launching a new campaign to try to bring them up.  Usually 94 percent to 95 percent of kindergarteners nationally are vaccinated against measles, tetanus, and certain other diseases.  The vaccination rates dropped below 94% in the 2020-21 school year and a new study finds they dropped again in the 2021-22 school year to about 93 percent.  Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says the pandemic disrupted vaccinations and other routine health care for children.  Rates vary across the country.  CDC officials noted significant increases in a few states, but most states saw declines with the largest drops in Mississippi, Georgia and Wisconsin.  A second CDC report found declines in vaccination rates among kids who were poor and lived in rural areas.