Tennessee sees big drop in flu shots for kids
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Childhood flu vaccination is down so far this season in every state but Iowa, per new CDC data.
- Tennessee ranks near the bottom of the pack, with a 15-point drop this season.
Why it matters: Flu shots can help prevent kids from getting sick, but they appear to be getting swept up in a broader wave of vaccine skepticism that took hold during the pandemic.
- The CDC reported 200 pediatric flu-related deaths in the 2023-24 season — a record high for a non-pandemic flu year.
State of play: So far this season, 26% of Tennessee kids have gotten a flu shot, which puts us at 43rd in a ranking of the states and D.C.
- At the same point last year, Tennessee had vaccinated 41% of kids.
Between the lines: The drop comes as Tennessee lawmakers have worked to chip away at vaccine requirements for children.
- Earlier this year, they passed legislation that eliminated the requirement that adoptive and foster care families caring for babies and medically fragile children must be vaccinated against the flu and whooping cough.
- Proponents said the new law would allow families that have religious objections to those vaccines to adopt and foster kids.
The big picture: Tennessee is not an outlier. Nationally, childhood flu vaccine coverage is down 7.1 points compared to the same time last year.
- The data is in line with a national rise in vaccine exemptions among kindergartners, suggesting increasing vaccine skepticism among parents pretty much nationwide.
How it works: These figures are among kids aged six months to 17 years as of Nov. 30.
- No data was available for Arizona or Mississippi.
What's next: Public health experts worry President-elect Trump's pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could further erode confidence in many vaccines that have proved safe and effective, as Axios' Maya Goldman and Tina Reed report.
💉 The bottom line: Flu cases are on the rise in Tennessee, according to the latest report from the state.
- All county health departments provide flu vaccines for free. Vaccination information is available from the Tennessee health department.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say Tennessee lawmakers eliminated the requirement for foster care families to be vaccinated (not kids in foster care).