Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Upswing In Vaccine Skepticism Has Spawned Communities Of Vulnerable Children Over Past Two Decades
The Washington Post: Percentage Of Young U.S. Children Who Don’t Receive Any Vaccines Has Quadrupled Since 2001
A small but increasing number of children in the United States are not getting some or all of their recommended vaccinations. The percentage of children under 2 years old who haven’t received any vaccinations has quadrupled in the last 17 years, according to federal health data released Thursday. Overall, immunization rates remain high and haven’t changed much at the national level. But a pair of reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about immunizations for preschoolers and kindergartners highlights a growing concern among health officials and clinicians about children who aren’t getting the necessary protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles, whooping cough and other pediatric infectious diseases. (Sun, 10/11)
The Associated Press: Thousands Of Young US Children Get No Vaccines, Survey Finds
"This is pretty concerning. It's something we need to understand better — and reduce," said the CDC's Dr. Amanda Cohn. Most young children — 70 percent — have had all their shots. The new estimate is based on finding that, in 2017, 1.3 percent of the children born in 2015 were completely unvaccinated. That's up from the 0.9 percent seen in an earlier similar assessment of the kids born in 2011. A 2001 survey with a different methodology suggested the proportion was in the neighborhood of 0.3 percent. (Stobbe, 10/11)
PBS NewsHour: A Quiet Rise In Unvaccinated Children Could Put The U.S. At Risk Of Outbreaks
Overall, the CDC reported child vaccination rates have been steadily increasing since 2001. The agency’s survey encompasses millions of children across 49 states* and the District of Columbia by pulling data from health care providers and schools. Their findings show that vaccine coverage remains high for 19- to 35-month-olds and kindergarteners. But the median percentage of kindergarteners with an exemption rose from 2 percent in 2016 to 2.2 percent in 2017. (Leventhal, 10/11)
