Trends in County-Level MMR Vaccination Coverage in Children in the United States

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2834892?guestAccessKey=fdba2e3a-112c-4664-95cd-65efdbb4d291&utm_term=060225&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_medium=referral&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_mI6nAsjAjQNIdOuZ06f20eiK5MSRayIeviFlV4JgBUIGWDB4oMPRNMxh6P6m2IOK7KMDs78nCiPwHw5-SV4mF-c4Weg&_hsmi=364493783&utm_content=tfl&utm_source=for_the_media MMR vaccination rates have fallen since the pandemic A new study of more than 2,000 counties across the country shows that 78% have reported drops in their vaccination rates for measles, mumps, and rubella over the last five years. On average, county-level vaccination rates dropped from 93.92% to 91.26% pre- to post-pandemic, according to the research, published yesterday in JAMA. (A vaccination rate of 95% is the typical public health goal, as that’s the level necessary for herd immunity.) Only four out of 33 included states reported an increase in the median county-level vaccination rate: California, Connecticut, Maine, and New York. The data comes in the wake of the largest measles outbreak the country has seen in decades. Two unvaccinated children in Texas have died, yet the state is currently poised to make it even easier for parents to enroll their kids in school without standard vaccinations like the MMR shot. https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/28/measles-outbreak-texas-vaccine-exemptions-children/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9rccyGrqem7JHyPj3w5k0aFYbSPBiUYU-CuZT-X8mfLDIkVyMYP_tk9DxBYugX1VkHVnFRLyMnpPnZGoUFpBTwwOO36w&_hsmi=364493783&utm_content=364493783&utm_source=hs_email