WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Minnesota health officials are concerned about the declining vaccine rates among children in the state since the pandemic.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, since the beginning of the pandemic, vaccine rates for kindergarten students in the state have been declining. 73.4 percent of 6-year-olds and 40.5 percent of 13-year-olds in Minnesota were up-to-date on all the recommended vaccines.
For the 2019-2020 school year, 92.6 percent of kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, whereas in the 2023-2024 school year, the vaccine rate for the same dropped to 87.1 percent.
The department added that about 40 percent of Minneapolis Public Schools students are behind on their vaccine schedules.
The decline in vaccination rates is particularly concerning as Minnesota has reported 34 cases of measles, and more than 500 cases of whooping cough so far this year.
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