Connecticut leads nation in kindergarten vaccination rates
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 file photo, a pediatrician holds a dose of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine at his practice in Northridge, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
With a new school year around the corner, Connecticut's kindergarteners are leading the nation in at least one category: immunization.
The state continues to rank among the top in the country for immunization rates despite a national drop in childhood vaccination, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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An estimated 98.3% of kindergarteners in Connecticut received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in the 2024-2025 school year, a 0.5% increase from the previous year. Students are required to have the vaccine in Connecticut, although some exemptions are allowed.
The state Department of Public Health said that, as a result, the Nutmeg State is one of 10 states to achieve the clinical threshold to create herd immunity for the upcoming school year and during an ongoing measles outbreak.
So far in 2025, the CDC has confirmed 1,356 measles cases across 41 states, including those that border Connecticut, like New York City, Rhode Island and New Jersey.
However, DPH Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani says Connecticut's high childhood vaccination rate is a key reason the state has avoided any measles cases, making it one of only ten states in the nation to do so.
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"Staying up to date on routine vaccines, particularly as we head into back-to-school season, is crucial for protecting children from preventable diseases and maintaining community-level immunity," Juthani said in a press release. "The proximity of students and highly touched surfaces contribute to the rapid spread of germs and increased risk of illness among students, staff, and their families."
The rest of the country is seeing a continued decline in all childhood vaccine rates. The new CDC data shows that the rates for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis dropped to 92.1% while MMR and polio vaccine rates saw a similar drop, now hovering around 92.5%
Non-medical exemptions from one or more vaccines, at the same time, increased from 3.3% to 3.6% across the U.S. The CDC did find that Connecticut's non-medical exemptions slightly decreased during the same time frame.
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"It's encouraging that so many parents in Connecticut are listening to medical advice from their doctors and getting their children vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella," said Gov. Ned Lamont in a press release. "These vaccinations have been proven to be safe for many decades and are responsible for preventing the spread of life-threatening illnesses. Let's keep Connecticut healthy by getting vaccinated and stopping the spread of these diseases."
Health officials previously said that several reasons are driving the national vaccine decline, including the nation's long history of vaccine hesitancy, which was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
