The Least-Vaccinated Kindergartners in Decades
The Atlantic reports that U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have reached a record low of 4.2 percent, with significant regional disparities. The article links this trend to recent federal executive orders aimed at reducing vaccine schedules and increasing exemptions.
Why it matters
Declining vaccination rates pose a significant public health risk by potentially lowering herd immunity thresholds for preventable diseases like measles and polio.
American children are going back to school without the protection they need.
Joe Raedle / Getty August 25, 2026, 12:59 PM ET Share Save As millions of children around the country start another school year, they’ll be confronting new classes, new teachers, and, inevitably, a new slate of germs. And this fall, they’ll be more vulnerable to infectious disease than children have been in decades.
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