By DEVI SHASTRI and NICKY FORSTER
Childhood vaccination charges in opposition to measles fell within the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in practically 80% of the greater than 2,000 U.S. counties with out there information — together with in states which are battling outbreaks this 12 months.
A Johns Hopkins College examine, revealed in JAMA this week, illustrates the place extra weak communities are positioned. The outcomes mirror developments established at state and nationwide ranges: Routine childhood vaccination charges are dropping.
“When you look at the state level or national level … you really don’t see those drastic drops. Those are there. They’re real and they’re really problematic,” mentioned Lauren Gardner, an professional in infectious illness modeling at Johns Hopkins College who’s the paper’s senior writer. Gardner additionally constructed the college’s COVID-19 database.
A lot of the measles circumstances within the U.S. this 12 months — 1,088 nationally as of Friday — are in unvaccinated individuals. It has been spreading amongst communities resulting from worldwide and home journey. Three individuals have died from measles throughout this 12 months’s outbreaks, and 2025 is inching nearer to changing into the worst for measles in additional than three many years.
Measles was eradicated within the U.S. in 2000, and the vaccine is protected and extremely efficient. Public colleges nationwide require two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine earlier than kindergarten, however the variety of youngsters with non-medical exemptions from these necessities hit an all-time excessive within the 2023-2024 faculty 12 months. Well being consultants say community-level vaccination must be at 95% or increased to forestall outbreaks.
The Johns Hopkins examine checked out 2,066 counties throughout 33 states, evaluating kindergarten vaccination charges averaged over faculty years from 2017-2020 to averages from 2022-2024. The place kindergarten information wasn’t out there, the researchers used a comparable fee.
Right here’s what it appears to be like like in counties the place there have been outbreaks this 12 months, together with in Texas counties which are the epicenter of measles.
Texas
Texas has logged 742 measles circumstances since late January, most in West Texas.
Gaines County has 411 circumstances, probably the most within the state. Nearly 2% of its inhabitants bought measles. Whereas the county noticed a two percentage-point enhance in vaccination charges after the pandemic, its 82.4% fee stays under herd immunity.
Terry County (60 circumstances) and Yoakum County (20 circumstances) dropped under the 95% threshold for herd immunity after the pandemic, to 93.7% and 91.8% respectively.
Lubbock County — which has seen 53 circumstances and is the closest metro space to Gaines County — was slightly below 95% earlier than the pandemic, however dropped three share factors after to 91.8%.
El Paso County on the border of Mexico has had the third-most measles circumstances in Texas this 12 months with 57. Its vaccination fee is increased than 95% however noticed a 2.1 percentage-point decline to 96.5%.
Kansas
Counties with outbreaks in Kansas embody Grey with 25 circumstances, Haskell with 11 and and Stevens with seven.
Vaccination charges in Grey County dropped 23 share factors after the pandemic, from 94% to 71%.
Haskell County dropped 18 share factors to 65%. And Stevens County dropped 0.5 share factors to 90.5%.
Colorado
Colorado’s outbreak, which is linked to a global flight that landed on the Denver airport in mid-Could, includes six circumstances: 5 in state residents and one out-of-state traveler.
Two individuals who bought measles stay in Arapahoe County within the Denver metro, the place the vaccination fee dropped 3.5 share factors to 88.4%. Three others stay in El Paso County, dwelling to Colorado Springs, the place the vaccination fee dropped 3.8 share factors to 80% post-pandemic.
North Dakota
Pre-pandemic information in North Dakota wasn’t out there to Johns Hopkins researchers, however they checked out charges from faculty years ending in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
North Dakota’s first outbreak began in Williams County, which now has 16 measles circumstances. Within the timeframe researchers checked out, vaccination charges in Williams rose from 84.6% in 2022 to 87.7% in 2023, solely to drop again to 83.5% in 2024.
Cass County has seven circumstances, and its fee has stayed regular at about 92.7%, whereas Grand Forks County, which has 10 measles circumstances, dropped from 95.4% to 93.4%.
The Related Press Well being and Science Division receives assist from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Academic Media Group and the Robert Wooden Johnson Basis. The AP is solely chargeable for all content material.
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