Public health officials across the state are encouraging parents to help their kids roll up their sleeves to get vaccinated. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, nearly 7 of every 10 children (66.9%) had the recommended vaccinations at age 24 months, a decline of almost 2% from 2024. Wisconsin is following a nationwide trend of declining vaccination rates, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Vaccine exemptions hit a record high of 3.4% last year, representing more than 138,000 children. During the 2024-25 school year, coverage for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP), polio and varicella vaccines decreased among kindergartners. MMR vaccination coverage was just 92.5%, well below the 95% threshold needed to prevent transmission of the measles virus.
National diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP) coverage among kindergartners also declined, falling from 92.3% in 2023-24 to 92.1% in 2024-25.
Door County Public Health Interim Health Officer and Registered Nurse Katie Van Laanen hopes to support parents in making informed medical decisions by sharing clear, research?backed information and answering questions with compassion and transparency.
Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that would lower the number of routinely recommended vaccines from 18 diseases to 11. According to CBS News, the CDC's revised guidance recommends that only children in high-risk categories receive immunizations for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B.
The American Academy of Pediatrics kept those vaccines in the schedule, along with protection against diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, human papillomavirus (HPV) and varicella (chickenpox).
