CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The measles outbreak in west Texas where an unvaccinated child died of the virus comes as North Carolina and South Carolina are both seeing slight declines of children who are up to date on their measles vaccines.
Lower percentages of kindergarteners in the Carolinas are getting their measles vaccines than in years past.
North Carolina is at a four-year low for the shots with 93.8% of kindergarteners getting the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) in the 2023-24 school year.
Meanwhile, South Carolina is at a 10-year low at 92.1% of Kindergarteners getting the MMR shot in the 2023-24 school year.
“It’s definitely concerning because remember, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of kids in that number, so even small percentage changes could impact our ability to protect our kids from these infections that we know are preventable with vaccination,” said Dr. Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County’s Public Health director.
Washington says there are two reasons parents aren’t getting their kids vaccinated. One is access and the other is resistance.
“We are seeing more vaccine hesitancy in our community in some pockets of the community, we know there are some groups, some communities, some religious groups who oppose vaccines for their children,” said Washington.
In west Texas where the child died from measles, the health department says one of the areas where the virus has spread is in a close-knit, under-vaccinated Mennonite community.
“What’s happening right now in west Texas is heartbreaking, that is — it’s preventable,” said Washington.
There has been a rise in MMR religious exemptions in North Carolina since 2020, which is higher than the number of medical exemptions for school students not getting vaccinations of all types.
“We are where we are with measles because of the vaccine itself. I think that is a fact, that is true and if were not for vaccines, we’d certainly be dealing with these kinds of measles outbreaks on a much more frequent basis,” said Washington.
Children typically receive their first dose of the MMR vaccine at 12-to-15 months old and their second dose at 4-to-6 years old.
Children without insurance can still get their vaccines at little or no cost through the Vaccines for Children program. For more information visit the CDC’s website.
For a list of specific vaccines and the vaccination rates in each state, see the CDC’s SchoolVax View.
