DPH Update: 109 Schools Below CDC Standard for Measles Vaccine; Hearing Set for Monday

HARTFORD, CT — As promised, the state Department of Public Health has revised the data it released for last year’s school-based immunization rates.

The revised data, based on feedback from school districts, shows that 109 schools had kindergartens or seventh grades with immunization rates below the 95% standard for for measles, mumps, and rubella for the 2017-18 school year. Last week, the original data release showed 116 schools with rates below the standard set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Revised percentages for the number of religious or medical exemptions were updated for 11 schools after districts alerted the DPH about errors in the initial report. The revised data indicates that within the 109 schools with MMR vaccine rates below 95%, there were five schools in which less than 80% of kindergarteners were vaccinated for measles. Among seventh graders, five schools had MMR vaccine rates below 90%.

To derive the immunization data, schools report to the DPH the total number of students in kindergarten and seventh grade in each school, and then they report the total number of students who had either shown proof of vaccination or claimed an exemption. In Connecticut, exemptions to vaccination can either be for medical reasons as approved by a physician, or for religious reasons as stated by a child’s parent or guardian.

Read more: https://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/20190511_dph_updates_school_vaccination_data_109_schools_below_standard/