Here Are The Vaccination Rates For Kindergartners In Texas

Nearly every state in America would achieve the recommended vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella if non-exempt kindergartners received their shots, according to new estimates published in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Figures from the agency show that in the 2018-19 school year, 2.5 percent of kindergartners had an exemption for at least one vaccine whereas 2.8 percent of kindergartners were not up to date for the measles vaccine and did not have an exemption. In Texas, the data shows that 96.9 percent of kindergartners were up to date with the measles vaccine.

According to the estimates, 2.4 percent of students in Texas had a vaccine exemption, which went up from the previous school year. The federal report found that nationally, 0.3 percent of kindergartners had a medical exemption while 2.2 percent had a non-medical exemption.

The data includes figures on vaccination coverage for measles, diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) and varicella vaccine.

Here are the vaccine coverage rates for each of the three vaccines among Texas kindergartners:

Measles, mumps and rubella (2 doses): 96.9 percent
Diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTap) (5 doses): 96.7
Varicella (2 doses): 96.5

The report also includes data from Texas on students provisionally enrolled in schools or attending during a grace period as they catch up with their vaccines. During the 2018-19 school year, 1.5 percent of kindergartners were provisionally enrolled or attending a Texas school during a grace period.

In Texas, 99.4 percent of the total kindergarten population was surveyed.

Nationally, 94.7 percent of kindergartners were vaccinated for measles, just short of the 95 percent or higher amount recommended by federal health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that if all undervaccinated kindergartners without an exemption received the measles vaccine, 44 states would be at or above the 95 percent threshold.

With the backdrop of the measles outbreak in the United States in 2019, the agency stressed the importance of school vaccination requirements and assessments to identify undervaccinated students. The report also notes that health officials should pay attention to local vaccination data, citing New York as an example, where a state had overall high vaccination coverage for measles but was still home to a large outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention closely monitors vaccines for safety and maintains information about the same on each type of vaccine. Information from the agency shows that vaccines are safe and effective and that serious side effects are rare. The agency also unequivocally states that vaccines do not cause autism.

The measles vaccine is highly effective in preventing the disease. According to federal health officials, two doses of the vaccine are about 97 percent effective in preventing measles while one dose is 93 percent effective in preventing measles.

The report notes there are limitations to the collected data. For example, only nine states reported data for homeschooled kindergartners, meaning not all students are surveyed in the report. The report also says that most states don’t report exemptions for specific vaccines, so the achievable measles vaccination rates cited in the report are approximations. (Read the full CDC report.)