US kindergarten vaccination rates dip as exemptions hit record high

The Guardian Health Saturday 22 August 2026, 11:00 UTC By Jessica Glenza 1 min read

Key Points

New CDC data shows MMR vaccination among kindergarteners declining slightly as non-medical exemptions climb to 4.2%A week after Donald Trump made a series of misleading claims about vaccines – including that some injections look “like the size of a soda bottle” – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the latest data on national kindergarten vaccination rates. CDC communications downplayed the changes – a three-sentence announcement said, “overall vaccination rates...

New CDC data shows MMR vaccination among kindergarteners declining slightly as non-medical exemptions climb to 4.2%

A week after Donald Trump made a series of misleading claims about vaccines – including that some injections look “like the size of a soda bottle” – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the latest data on national kindergarten vaccination rates.

CDC communications downplayed the changes – a three-sentence announcement said, “overall vaccination rates among kindergarteners remained high” – but medical experts immediately saw cause for concern in the trends.

US (LOCATION) CDC (ORG) MMR (ORG) Donald Trump (PERSON) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ORG)

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