Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC: Vaccine Exemptions Rise To Record 4.2% For Kindergarteners
NBC News: CDC Finds Childhood Vaccine Exemptions For Personal Or Religious Reasons Hit New Record
The number of parents in the U.S. choosing not to vaccinate their children rose dramatically in the last school year, according to data released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All states require certain vaccines for children entering public school. During the 2025-26 school year, 4.2% of kindergartners, about 155,000 kids, had at least one vaccine exemption, up from 3.6% the previous school year. The vast majority of those exemptions were labeled as “non-medical,” meaning that parents or caregivers were opting out of the shots for personal or religious, rather than health, reasons. Medical exemptions remained stable at 0.2%. (Edwards, 8/17)
In other news about vaccinations —
CIDRAP: Focusing On Healthy Aging Might Encourage Older Adults To Get Vaccinated
Information that links vaccination to healthy aging might encourage more older adults to get recommended immunizations, particularly if they believe doing so benefits their cardiovascular (heart-related) or cognitive (thinking-related) health. (Boden, 8/17)
CIDRAP: Although It’s Uncommon, Vaccinated People Can Spread Measles, Study Finds
In some cases, vaccinated people can transmit measles, finds a review and meta-analysis of 33 reports published late last week in Expert Review of Vaccines. “Measles transmissions from vaccinated cases, although relatively uncommon, must be considered in public health investigations, as such transmissions can contribute to outbreaks,” wrote the authors, led by researchers at Public Health Ontario. (Holohan, 8/17)
MedPage Today: Despite Vaccines, Most U.S. Adults Not Immune To Hepatitis A Or B
Even with effective vaccines available, most U.S. adults don't have immunity to either the hepatitis A or B virus (HAV, HBV), according to a cross-sectional analysis, and recent federal vaccine recommendations could push immunity levels even lower. (Rudd, 8/17)
MedPage Today: Vaccine Prevents Acute Gastroenteritis Deaths In Cases Caused By Rotavirus
Vaccination was highly effective at preventing death in children hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis caused by rotavirus infection, but its impact on mortality when rotavirus wasn't the culprit was less certain, according to an international retrospective study. (Rudd, 8/17)
