Increase rate of vaccine exemption in US
- Gyeonghyun Cho
- Jan 25
- 1 min read
Jan 25, 2025
Gyeonghyun Cho
When Covid19 broke out in 2020, most people visited the hospital to have a shot of Covid19 vaccine to prevent the spread of the virus. However, vaccine exemption rates for school-required childhood immunization have increased across much of the United States after Covid pandemic, mainly due to nonmedical exemptions based on personal religious beliefs. Most experts assume that misinformation, political debates, and vaccine hesitancy contributed to increased vaccine exemptions.
This situation also creates another serious problem among the US states that preventable diseases such as measles begin to spread around the states. According to CNN news, about 400 cases of measles are reported in South Carolina. However, people who did not get vaccinations were mostly exposed to known measles. These similar exposure risks have spread to nearby states.
Some states like California and New York, have eliminated non-medical exemptions, leading to improved vaccination coverage, while the others such as Florida are reducing vaccine mandates. Overall, most experts consider this situation very seriously and warn that even small drops in coverage can trigger large outbreaks, especially in communities with high exemption rates.
