Kindergarten vaccine exemptions rose in 2025-2026: CDC

# Why This Matters The rise in kindergarten vaccine exemptions represents a tangible erosion of public health infrastructure at its most critical juncture. Herd immunity thresholds for diseases like measles require 95 percent immunization coverage; declining rates directly increase the risk of outbreaks in schools where unvaccinated children cluster, potentially triggering cascading infections in medically vulnerable populations who cannot be vaccinated due to age or immunocompromise. Beyond individual classrooms, declining vaccination rates weaken the firewall against disease reintroduction—measles elimination in the Americas, for instance, has already been jeopardized in recent years by pockets of low immunization—and reduce the speed at which health systems can respond to emerging respiratory or communicable disease threats. Policymakers and public health officials now face a narrowing window to reverse this trend before preventable disease outbreaks become endemic problems rather than isolated incidents.