Buzz
Recent research has highlighted areas with significant concentrations of philosophical and religious vaccine exemptions—documents that, in certain states, parents can submit instead of vaccinating their kindergarten-aged children. While many of these areas are rural, 15 mid-sized cities stand out due to their large populations and alarmingly high exemption rates.
It’s important to note that these are non-medical exemptions. All states permit medical exemptions for children with conditions like immune system disorders, where vaccines could pose serious risks. Ironically, children who cannot be vaccinated due to medical reasons, or those too young for vaccines, face the greatest danger from policies that allow healthy individuals to avoid vaccinations.
The Significance of Hotspots
A single individual cannot single-handedly spread a vaccine-preventable disease. Picture this: you contract measles while on vacation, return home, and unknowingly expose your neighbors. If they are all vaccinated, the disease’s spread will be minimal. (The measles vaccine is 97% effective for those who receive both recommended doses.) While a small percentage of vaccinated individuals (3% in this case) might still contract and spread the disease, this number is insufficient to sustain an outbreak. This is why areas with high numbers of unvaccinated individuals are particularly concerning—similar to the 2015 measles outbreak at Disneyland. For an outbreak to occur, you need both a large population to spread the disease to and a high percentage of unvaccinated individuals.
The team behind the map also identified counties with over 400 kindergarteners holding non-medical exemptions. They discovered 15 such counties, with the largest cities in each being:
Phoenix, AZ (2,947 exemptions in 2016-2017)
Salt Lake City, UT
Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Troy, MI
Provo, UT
Houston, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Plano, TX
Warren, MI
Detroit, MI
Pittsburgh, PA
Austin, TX
Kansas City, MO
Spokane, WA (405 exemptions)
If you’re wondering why California isn’t on the list, it’s because the state enacted a law banning non-medical exemptions following the Disneyland measles outbreak. The following year, California saw an increase in children claiming medical exemptions, but overall, exemptions decreased, and vaccination rates improved.
However, it’s likely that there are more hotspots beyond those listed. Anti-vaccine sentiments didn’t disappear overnight when California’s law took effect; unvaccinated children and adults still exist. Additionally, states without strict exemption laws may also have significant numbers of unvaccinated individuals, especially if obtaining a medical exemption is relatively easy.
