More American Families Are Refusing Vaccines

It's back-to-school season again, and American kids are facing not just new classmates but a new slate of germs. This year, though, they're more vulnerable to infectious disease than they've been in decades.

More families are saying no to vaccines

The Trump administration wants to shrink the recommended vaccine schedule and split the MMR shot into three separate doses. The policies lack scientific merit, but they're already having an effect.

Kindergarten vaccine exemption rates hit a record high: 4.2 percent of kids are skipping shots. West Virginia still vaccinates 99 percent, but Idaho is down to 75 percent — far below the safety threshold for preventing outbreaks.

Pediatricians are playing firefighter

Doctors spend hours convincing families, citing facts or sharing personal stories — "I gave these to my own two kids." Some parents who initially refuse are won over after years of gentle prodding.

But the worst fear is patients dropping out of care entirely. In rural areas, scaring families away could leave kids with no doctor at all.

Outbreaks are the best teacher, but students aren't listening

The U.S. is facing its worst measles resurgence in 35 years, with South Carolina as the epicenter. Even so, vaccination rates there have ticked up only slightly while exemptions keep rising.

The most effective fix is mandates: West Virginia, which bans non-medical exemptions, has had the country's highest childhood vaccination rates for years. Mississippi had the same policy until 2023 — once it was struck down, eight counties immediately fell below the 95 percent safety line.

One doctor just saw a family whose older kids were vaccinated but whose baby was skipped at the mother's insistence. She left saying, "I'm so glad President Trump changed the vaccine schedule and brought all these problems to light." That mindset is spreading. By the time that baby starts school, a big unvaccinated cohort may be forming, and the next time a dangerous virus arrives, everyone in the community will be at risk.