Alaska has second-lowest child vaccination rate among 48 states reporting results
- Mark Sabbatini
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
82.7% rate for the 2024-25 school year is 9.5% below the state’s rate for 2018-19; non-medical exemptions rise to 9%, up from 6.6%
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Kindergarten vaccination rates in Alaska are the second-lowest among 48 states reporting data, with rates decreasing nationwide due to increasing exemptions and misinformation, according to reports and data published Monday.
Alaska’s vaccination rate of 82.7% for children entering public kindergarten for the 2024-25 school year is 9.5% below the state’s rate for 2018-19, according to an analysis of federal data reported by the States Newsroom publication Stateline. The state ranked 46th out of 50 states during 2018-19.
Non-medical exemptions in Alaska rose to 9% for 2024-25, up from 6.6% in 2018-19.
“At least 33 states were below herd immunity in the 2024-25 school year, compared with 28 states before the pandemic in 2018-2019,” Stateline reports. The article notes states need to maintain at least a 95% vaccination rate for measles to protect people who can’t get vaccinated and other diseases have similar rates.
By Tim Henderson
Stateline
States that were leaders in childhood vaccination before the pandemic are among those losing ground as exemptions and unfounded skepticism take hold, encouraged by the Trump administration’s stance under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr…(Read full story)
New federal guidelines issued in January by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reduce the number of vaccines recommended for all children to 11 instead of 17. Those guidelines were issued by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under a directive issued by President Donald Trump, both of whom are prominent vaccine skeptics who have made false statements about them.
The new CDC recommendations have been rejected by the American Academy of Pediatrics and a coalition of 15 Democratic governors announced Jan. 26 they will endorse the academy’s standards rather than those of the CDC.
A bill authorizing the Alaska Department of Health to follow the academy’s recommendations has been introduced by Rep. Andrew Gray, D-Anchorage, a physician assistant. In an interview Monday, he said he’s discussed the bill with the state health department officials, but declined to say if they specifically support or oppose its provisions.
“I believe there are people at the Department of Health that believe in vaccinations and want vaccinations to happen, and would appreciate having options at their disposal,” he said.
Gray said his primary concern in introducing the bill is the CDC under the Trump administration will make further modifications affecting diseases with more significant impacts such as those preventing measles, mumps and polio.
“What we've seen recently is those big vaccines are being questioned, and that's what makes me panic and that's what makes that bill so important,” he said.
A measles outbreak in South Carolina has topped 800 cases as of Monday and at least 16 other states reported outbreaks in January, according to news reports. The surge in cases means the U.S. is likely to lose its measles elimination status that was declared in 2000 because there had been no continuous domestic spread for more than 12 months.
The Alaska Department of Health’s "Vaccines For Children" webpage features links to the CDC’s schedules for childhood vaccines. It also links to a report of "Child Care & School Immunization Requirements" for the 2023-24 school year.
Inquiries by the Juneau Independent on Monday morning to Department of Health officials about the state’s ranking in the Stateline analysis, and what childhood vaccine schedule the state officially supports, did not receive a response by the end of business hours.
The Alaska Beacon reported in mid-January the state is deviating from the CDC change to Hepatitis B vaccinations by continuing to recommend universal vaccinations for newborns. State health officials told the news site Alaska has a higher-risk status for the virus that warrants an exception from the new general recommendations.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
