Vaccine exemptions have risen in Clark County, mimicking countrywide trends that health officials say have a worrisome impact . Vaccination rates among kindergartners have dipped across the United States as exemptions have risen, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published on Wednesday. During the 2022-23 school year, 4 percent of kindergartners received exemptions across Washington, which jumped to 4.
8 percent in 2024, according to data from the Washington State Department of Health. For the 2023-24 school year, the share of kindergartners in Clark County exempt from vaccine requirements rose to 8.9 percent, up from 8.
6 percent the year before. Of those exemptions during the 2023-24 school year, 6.8 percent were attributed to religious reasons, 2.
6 percent were for personal reasons and 0.6 percent were for medical reasons. “One of the best ways to protect yourself and those around you from vaccine-preventable diseases is to keep your immunizations up to date,” Clark County Public Health said on its website .
“Getting vaccinated can reduce your chances of getting infected and can prevent severe illness and death.” Statewide, 87.6 percent of kindergartners were vaccinated during the 2023-24 school year, no change from the previous year.
During the 2023-24 school year, 86.3 percent of kindergartners were vaccinated across Clark County, up from 85.6 percent the previous year.
Across the United States, 92.7 percent of kindergartners.