Nearly 10% of kindergartners in Oregon are currently not fully vaccinated due to nonmedical exemptions from the state’s vaccination requirements, according to a recent announcement by the Oregon Health Authority. This figure marks an increase from the previous school year, positioning Oregon among the states with the highest rates of nonmedical exemptions. However, the state’s exact ranking on a national level has not yet been disclosed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials have raised concerns that declining vaccination rates could heighten the risk of preventable disease outbreaks, such as measles. Paul Cieslak, the state medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations, emphasized that increased nonmedical exemptions compromise community immunity and could lead to resurgent outbreaks of serious diseases that vaccinations have largely controlled.
Oregon has now recorded a consistent decline in vaccination rates for the third consecutive year, with approximately 13.7% of kindergarten students failing to be fully vaccinated, whether for medical or nonmedical reasons. Alarmingly, some private and charter schools have reported exceptionally low vaccination rates; for instance, only 45% of Woodland Charter School students in Grants Pass were vaccinated against measles, and just 30% at Sulamita Christian Academy in Fairview.
The state allows parents and guardians to exempt their children from vaccinations without providing a medical reason—only requiring them to watch an educational video and receive a doctor’s certification of their understanding.
State epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger expressed the dangers of relying increasingly on nonmedical exemptions, stating that vaccines have dramatically improved public health by reducing the prevalence of infectious diseases, which helps create safe environments for children. He warned that this trend endangers the progress made in public health and places communities at risk.
Among the preventable diseases that could resurface is measles. Current data indicates that about 90.5% of Oregon’s kindergarten students have received their measles vaccinations, which is nearly five percentage points below the threshold needed for herd immunity. Cieslak noted that this year, 96% of over 1,000 reported measles cases in the U.S. occurred in unvaccinated individuals or those with an unknown vaccination status.
Stacy de Assis Matthews, the school immunization coordinator at the Oregon Immunization Program, reinforced the message that a vaccinated community is the best defense against diseases like measles.
This concerning trend reinforces the need for ongoing public education about the importance of vaccinations in protecting not only individual health but also the community as a whole. By fostering greater awareness and understanding, there is potential to reverse this decline and bolster vaccination rates in Oregon, promoting healthier future generations.