Michigan’s declining vaccine rates a concern

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Michigan’s vaccine waiver rate for school age students was 3.1% in 2015. That rate doubled to 6.2% during the 2024-25 school year.

Preliminary data indicates a continued increase in the waiver rate last year, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Fewer children vaccinated against diseases like measles, mumps, and pertussis means greater susceptibility to community outbreaks, which are becoming more common in Michigan and across the country, state immunization experts said.

The U.S. has already seen more measles infections in 2026 than any year since 1991. That total — 2,318 cases according to the CDC — is higher than all of last year (2,289) with five months still to play out.

Michigan accounted for 14 measles cases this year, including 11 associated with outbreaks this spring in Washtenaw and Ottawa counties. Those outbreaks are in the rearview, but health officials and community advocates are urging parents to make sure their children are caught up on vaccines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics with a return to school on the horizon.

“There was a point back in the spring where we were really concerned that this disease would find its way into an under-vaccinated community and would just spread like wildfire,” said Ryan Malosh, director of Michigan’s division of immunization. “It’s really important that we maintain a high level of coverage because these kids who are unvaccinated, they represent real individuals, real people who are at risk of these diseases.”

Measles is one of the most transmissible diseases around, capable of remaining in the air for hours after an infected person leaves a room. Common symptoms include high fever, cough and rash.

About one in five unvaccinated people who get measles is hospitalized, according to the CDC. About one in 20 children wind up with pneumonia, which is the most common cause of death from measles.

“The other thing that measles does that makes it just so terrible is it sort of wipes out the rest of your immune system,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Michigan’s chief medical executive. “Diseases that you once had immunity to, other diseases that you may have been vaccinated against, or diseases that you had your own immunity to measles can actually suppress that.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella, administered once at 12 to 15 months, and once between 4 and 6 years old. Two doses are 97% effective against measles, according to the CDC.

Childhood vaccination rates have been declining in recent years, dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic when the health emergency required canceled appointments and vaccination became especially politicized.