U.S. childhood vaccination rates, a health bright spot in some states, are slipping

Childhood vaccination rates, a health bright spot in struggling states, are slipping Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. Experts worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those bright spots to dim. NBC News

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Mississippi and West Virginia, two similarly conservative states with poor health outcomes and short life expectancies, also have some of the highest vaccination rates for kindergartners in the nation — a seeming contradiction that stems from the fact that childhood vaccination requirements don’t always align with states’ other characteristics, said James Colgrove, a Columbia University professor who studies factors that influence public health. ...

Advocates, doctors, public health officials, and researchers worry such public health bright spots in some states are fading: Many states have recently reported an increase in people opting out of vaccines for their kids as Americans’ views shift.

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