Maine CDC Report: Immunization Rates Decreasing for Maine Kids

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) released their annual report that evaluates Maine schools' immunization data for students in kindergarten, 7th, and 12th grades.

The findings are showing a continued decrease in immunization rates for Maine's school-aged children.  The report shows that Maine's kindergarteners are receiving the lowest rate of vaccination for the MMR vaccination, the vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella at 93.8% compliance.

With the decrease in vaccinations, there is an increase in medical, religious, and philosophical exemptions across the state.

Specifically, the report reviews schools' compliance for 7th and 12th grade entry with Maine's immunization requirements for:

• Chicken pox
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
• Polio
• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Pertussis
• Meningococcal Meningitis

There is concern the decreased immunization puts Maine's population at risk for disease since less individuals are immunized and thus making more people vulnerable to the diseases the vaccinations are protecting the population from.

The report shows that 172 of 341 total kindergarten classes in Maine fall below a safe level of 95% immunization.

The Maine CDC states that immunization is the most effective way to prevent infectious disease from spreading.