Wisconsin’s vaccination rates among school-aged children are near the lowest of any U.S. state, according to a new federal report, and state health officials urge families to make sure their children are vaccinated. is being strengthened.
“While most Wisconsinites are protecting their children with vaccines, we are falling short of what we need to do to protect our state from preventable outbreaks,” said Wisconsin State Health Officer and Director of the State Department of Public Health. Director Paula Tran said Thursday.
The report, published Thursday in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, found that the national vaccination rate for children entering kindergarten has reached the CDC’s goal of 95% over a four-year period. It was found that it was below. But in Wisconsin, the percentage dropped significantly, below 87%.
Dr. Stephanie Schauer, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
As a result, “our families and communities are becoming more vulnerable to diseases such as measles,” Stephanie Schauer, vaccine program manager for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), said in a media briefing. Ta. “These low vaccination rates are concerning, especially given that there are areas of the state where vaccination rates are so low that they remain unprotected from vaccine-preventable diseases.”
The CDC report used data submitted by state health departments, including Wisconsin.
One reason for Wisconsin’s low vaccination rate may be the number of families who have claimed exemptions from the state’s vaccine requirements under Wisconsin law.
Waivers increased nationally, with 3.3% of kindergarten students granted exemptions from their states’ vaccine requirements for the 2023-24 school year, according to the report.
However, 14 states offered exemptions to more than 5% of students. Wisconsin is one of those states, granting exemptions to 8% of kindergarten students for the 2023-24 school year.
Schauer said the COVID-19 pandemic is one of several factors contributing to lower vaccination rates.
“We know that vaccination rates can also be affected by misinformation and disinformation,” Schauer said. “We know that families may experience access issues when traveling to vaccination clinics and health care providers.”
Trust and confidence in vaccination has been “slightly eroded,” she added. “And all of these things taken together probably contribute to why we’re seeing this decline.”
Schauer said DHS is working with community groups and tribal communities to develop “trusted messengers to talk about vaccines within their communities, build that trust and confidence, and increase access to vaccines.” Ta.
Vaccines are available from a variety of sources, including local health departments, home health providers, pharmacies and community vaccination events, she said.
Schauer said the vaccine is still available for free under the federal government’s childhood vaccine program for people concerned about not being able to afford the cost.
Vaccines for Children serves families with children who receive Medicaid and are uninsured or underinsured. That includes Alaska Natives and American Indians, who “include about half of the children nationally and in Wisconsin,” he said.
Schauer added that most health care providers who provide vaccines to children are participating in the program, and families can take advantage of the service by telling their health care provider that they do not have insurance.
Schauer said the program was started 30 years ago in response to the measles epidemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s. DHS lists participating providers on its website.
“Payment issues should not be part of the decision whether to vaccinate a child,” Schauer said.
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