Vaccination rates among Florida kids lowest in decade

TAMPA, Fla. - The vaccination rate of Florida kindergartners has fallen to 90%, the lowest in more than a decade, and pediatricians across the state are concerned at the significant dip. 

Although 90% may seem high, public health experts recommend a vaccination rate of at least 95%, because lower than that increases the risk of outbreaks.

"While 90% still sounds fantastic, if you think of all the children in the state of Florida, 10% of those kids not being vaccinated is quite a number," said Dr. Rachel Dawkins, a Johns Hopkins All Children’s pediatrician. "We have seen drops in vaccination rates across the board and especially since COVID. We have a lot more people declining, things like the flu vaccine."

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Doctors said the pandemic caused more parents to start questioning the standard shots most kids have always gotten to prevent diseases like hepatitis, measles, mumps, polio, chickenpox, among others.

"Vaccines are critically important," Dawkins said. "I know that a lot of people feel like, ‘Why are we doing these? We don't see these diseases,’ but we used to see a lot of these diseases, and they were prevented by vaccines and the diseases that we're trying to prevent with vaccination can be deadly, especially in kids."

A recent Gallup poll found 40% of Americans said it is extremely important for parents to make sure their kids are vaccinated – that's down from 58% in 2019.

Most public schools in the Tampa Bay area require students to be vaccinated with the major shots, but Florida has a religious exemption, and data by the Department of Health shows more and more parents are using that exemption each month.   

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Dawkins encouraged parents to express concerns to their pediatrician.

"As a pediatrician, we're here for you and your family," Dawkins said. "We want to talk to you about your concerns. I know it seems overwhelming, and you want to protect your child. This is really the best way to protect your child from illness is to get them vaccinated."

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