Vermont Business Magazine Newly released child care and school immunization data from the Vermont Department of Health shows that while a high number of Vermont children in child care and school have received all their required vaccines, a significant number of children are under-vaccinated – creating a danger that vaccine-preventable diseases like measles can take hold and spread.
Each year, the Health Department collects vaccination coverage data from all Vermont public and independent schools. Coverage data is also collected from regulated child care facilities in coordination with the state’s Department for Children and Families. The data is available at healthvermont.gov/disease-control/immunization/vaccination-coverage.
Among regulated child care programs, which represent 59% of all Vermont children younger than age 5, nearly 94% met all vaccine requirements for their age, up slightly from the previous year. The percentage of children with a religious exemption was unchanged at 2.6%, and 0.2% of children in child care had a medical exemption. Vermont eliminated the philosophical exemption in 2015.
The percentage of Vermont K-12 students receiving all required immunizations is 94.5%, the highest it has been since the Department began collecting this data in 2012. The percentage of K-12 students with a medical exemption remained steady at 0.2%, religious exemptions increased 0.2 percentage points to 3.1%.
For those children entering kindergarten, the percentage who have a religious exemption increased from 3.7% to 4.4%. Nonetheless, having all required vaccinations is still the norm for kindergarten students in Vermont. Religious exemption levels were significantly higher among children entering kindergarten in independent schools at 13.1% compared to 3.8% for public schools.
The immunization data also offers a look at coverage rates for specific vaccines, such as the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. To protect against measles, for example, 95% of children in a child care or school setting must be immunized with the MMR vaccine. This creates a level of “community immunity” that can keep the disease from spreading. In Vermont, 97.4% of public school students met the two-dose requirement for the MMR vaccine. Coverage is lower among independent schools, some significantly so, with several in the 40% range.
KEY FINDINGS IN 2019
K-12
Meeting Requirements
The percentage of Vermont K-12 students receiving all required vaccines remains high, increasing slightly from last year to 94.5%. These are the highest coverage levels reported since K-12 data collection began in 2012. Coverage at individual schools varies widely. See the "VIEW THE 2018-2019 DATA" section below for coverage at each school.
Provisional Admission
2.3% were provisionally admitted, a 0.2 percentage point decrease from last year. These children were not up-to-date on one or more required vaccines and did not have a signed exemption.
Exemptions
The percentage of K-12 students with a medical exemption remained stable at 0.2%. Religious exemptions increased 0.2 percentage points, to 3.1%.
MMR
97% of K-12 students met the two-dose measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination requirement. Coverage was slightly lower in independent schools (93.2%; 8,990 students) than public schools (97.4%; 75,454 students).
Kindergarten
Meeting Requirements
The percentage of Vermont public and independent kindergarten students receiving all required vaccines in the 2018-2019 school year was 90.4%. This is a drop of 0.7 percentage points from last year, when coverage reached a 10-year high, but is consistent with average coverage over the previous two years.
Provisional Admission
5.1% of kindergarteners were provisionally admitted (not up-to-date on all required vaccines and did not have a signed exemption), the same percentage as last school year. By first grade, provisional admission decreased to 2.3%.
Exemptions
The percentage of kindergarten students with a religious exemption increased 0.8 percentage points from 2017-2018, to 4.4%. However, receiving all required vaccines remains the norm for Vermont kindergarteners, with the large majority not exempted from requirements. Religious exemption levels were higher in independent schools (13.1%; 396 students) than public schools (3.8%; 5,730 students).
MMR
93% of kindergarten students met the two-dose measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination requirement. Coverage was considerably lower in independent schools (82.1%) than public schools (93.8%). The current measles outbreaks in the United States highlights the importance of maintaining high (93-95%) MMR vaccine coverage. Pockets of low coverage can make communities vulnerable to an outbreak.
CHILD CARE
In 2018-2019, 95% of all regulated child care programs completed the report. The 997 programs reporting represent 17,822 children younger than age five (approximately 59% of all Vermont children that age) and not enrolled in school, receiving full or part-time care. A limitation of the data is that children may be enrolled in, and reported by, more than one child care program.
For children younger than five years of age enrolled in Vermont regulated child care programs:
Meeting Requirements
- 93.7% met all vaccine requirements for their age, an improvement of 0.6% from the prior year.
- For all individual vaccines, the percentage of children meeting requirements rose in 2018-2019.
- Coverage was above 95% for each required vaccine.
Provisional Admission
- 3.5% were provisionally admitted (children that were not up-to-date on all required vaccines and did not have a signed exemption), a decrease from 4.0% in 2017-2018.
Exemptions
- 2.6% had a religious exemption, consistent with the previous year.
- 0.2% had a medical exemption, the same percentage as school age children.
VIEW THE DATA
“Thanks to good immunization coverage in the U.S., the terrible toll of many vaccine-preventable diseases like polio, and until recently, measles, has been a thing of the past,” said Christine Finley, immunization program manager at the Department of Health. “Many Vermont schools have achieved vaccination rates that are worth celebrating,” said Finley.
“But the number of schools throughout the state that have low vaccination rates is a cause for concern,” Finley said. “In some schools, both public and independent, rates are so low that there is serious potential for the rapid spread of dangerous diseases like measles.” The department’s data shows that of the K-12 schools, 114 had an MMR vaccination rate of less than the 95% rate needed for community immunity against measles.
Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD said this is a call to action. “Measles is making a comeback across the globe. That means we are seeing the disease again in places where we haven’t seen it in decades, and people need to make sure that they and their children are protected.”
Parents, caregivers, and all Vermonters are encouraged to talk with their doctors and make sure they and their children are up to date on all recommended vaccinations. The Health Department’s immunization web page features information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, including information about which immunizations adults and children should have.
Dr. Levine said the department is working to ensure that school principals, parents, community members and municipal leadership are all aware of where under-vaccination exists, to review the rate data, and to have the information they need to directly address it.
“Misinformation about the safety of vaccines is a significant factor contributing to the outbreaks,” said Dr. Levine. “We encourage concerned parents and caregivers to ask questions. Talk with your child’s pediatrician and get the evidence-based information you need to protect yourself, your family and your community.
“We have the ability to stop vaccine-preventable diseases,” Dr. Levine said. “In the midst of a national epidemic, now is the time for Vermonters to do all they can to protect themselves and prevent an outbreak from occurring in our state.”
See the school immunization rates: healthvermont.gov/disease-control/immunization/vaccination-coverage
Learn more about immunizations: healthvermont.gov/disease-control/immunization
Find out more about measles: healthvermont.gov/disease-control/measles
Source: Vermont Department of Health