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Exemptions Hit Record as Kindergarten MMR Rates Drop

8/17/2026

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Summary

Story summary

U.S. officials reported that kindergarten vaccination rates fell in 2025-26 while exemption rates reached a record high, affecting an estimated 155,000 children.
The CDC said 92.4% of 2025-26 kindergarteners received MMR shots, down from the pre-COVID 95% level.
President Donald Trump appointed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead federal health agencies and urged spacing childhood shots into separate visits.

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Story summary

U.S. officials reported that kindergarten vaccination rates fell in 2025-26 while exemption rates reached a record high, affecting an estimated 155,000 children.
The CDC said 92.4% of 2025-26 kindergarteners received MMR shots, down from the pre-COVID 95% level.
President Donald Trump appointed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead federal health agencies and urged spacing childhood shots into separate visits.