State's top health official says vaccine waiver trend risks disease outbreaks in schools
Michigan's chief medical executive warns that rising vaccine waiver rates in schools are increasing the risk of outbreaks for preventable diseases like measles and mumps. Officials attribute the trend to misinformation and encourage parents to consult pediatricians.
Why it matters
Public health officials are concerned that declining vaccination rates threaten herd immunity and put children at risk of serious, life-altering illnesses.
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Nina Lawrenson/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com / 527959530 A child looks at a bandaid applied after a vaccine injection. Michigan's school vaccine waiver rate climbed again in the 2025 to 2026 school year.
Experts say the trend is leaving schools and the public vulnerable to preventable outbreaks of serious diseases.
Michigan schools require students to have vaccines that protect against eight serious diseases: measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, and chickenpox. But parents can get waivers, either on religious, medical, or philosophical grounds.
More and more parents are asking for those waivers.
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