HARTFORD, Conn. — As the year comes to an end, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, or DPH, is reminding parents to make sure their children are vaccinated entering 2025.
In a release Tuesday, DPH reported that Connecticut school immunization rates are rebounding. The percentage of kindergarteners in the state receiving required measles, mumps and MMR vaccines in the 2023-2024 school year was 97.7%, an increase of 0.4% from the previous school year.
Compared to last year, there was a 3% increase in the number of schools with more than 30 kindergarten students with MMR vaccination rates at or above 95%. One can access information on immunization completion rates for Connecticut schools by clicking here and typing in school immunization survey data.
DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD, says it’s important for parents to check with their child’s healthcare provider to ensure that all vaccinations are up to date.
“If parents have any questions or concerns about vaccinating their children, they should discuss them with their child’s primary care provider,” Juthani said. “We want to make sure every child attending school in Connecticut is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles.”
This fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Connecticut medical exemptions rose by 0.1% and non-medical exemptions decreased by 0.4% from the 2022-2023 school year to the 2023-2024 school year.
Furthermore, coverage rates for kindergarteners in the state rose from the 2022-2023 school year to the 2023-2024 school year and remain above the national average.
In addition to protecting children who have been vaccinated, high vaccination rates impact those who have not been vaccinated through herd immunity. DPH says that schools that achieve heard immunity reduce the risk of outbreaks and that high vaccination rates at schools are especially significant for medically fragile children.
Some children have conditions such as illnesses requiring chemotherapy that affect their immunity. They cannot be safely vaccinated, according to DPH, and are simultaneously less able to fight off illnesses when infected. DPH says their lives and health depend on herd immunity.
Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker says that school attendance is foundational to learning and academic success as well as to supporting students’ social, emotional and physical well-being.
“Ensuring students are healthy and ready to learn from the first day of school is critical, and immunizations are one of the many important tools that help create safe and supportive learning environments for all,” Russell-Tucker said.
One can click here to learn how to get you or your child’s vaccine record safely online. The CT WiZ Public Portal is both confidential and free. The service is provided by the DPH Immunization Program.
Those with questions regarding the Connecticut Vaccine Program can call 860-509-7929 or email dph.immunizations@ct.gov. More information about vaccines can be found here.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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