Vaccination rates fall among Michigan kindergarteners
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Vaccination rates among Michigan kindergartners decreased during the 2025–2026 school year, according to new data from the CDC.
The big picture: It's part of a national trend. Exemptions from getting one or more vaccines increased in 41 states and the District of Columbia, growing to 4.2% from 3.6% the year before.
- The change coincided with continued efforts by the Trump administration to make controversial vaccine policy changes and with measles cases hitting levels not seen in more than three decades.
Zoom in: Last school year, 7.7% of Michigan kindergartners had immunization waivers — up from 6.8% in the 2024-2025 school year.
- Michigan’s exemption rate is higher than Ohio (5.7%) and Indiana (3.8%).
Coverage declined among the state's kindergarten students by less than 1 percentage point for each vaccine tracked by the CDC.
Driving the news: Michigan public health officials stood firm this month on childhood vaccination recommendations after President Trump's Aug. 10 executive order sought to relax the immunization schedule for children, the Free Press reports.
- The order also calls for making the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines available as three separate shots.
What they're saying: There is no new data to support changing the immunization schedule, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said Monday.
- "We understand that shifts in federal guidance can create uncertainty for parents and physicians, so we want to provide clarity," Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state's chief medical executive, said in a statement.
State of play: Michigan will continue recommending the childhood immunization schedules outlined by major medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Zoom out: The drop in vaccination coverage comes amid a national surge in measles cases that is also showing up in Michigan.
- MMR coverage among Michigan kindergartners fell to 90.9% from 91.6% the previous school year.
Between the lines: Polling shows childhood vaccines remain popular, but administration efforts to upend longstanding vaccine policies could further erode trust in vaccines and public health, medical experts say.