MA No. 1 In The Country For This Health Measure, New Study Says

A new study has found that Massachusetts leads the country in vaccination rates. The analysis comes from personal finance site WalletHub and examined 16 key metrics across the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

The Bay State was first by a wide margin, scoring 81.95, more than 10 points over second-place New Hampshire. Massachusetts was No. 1 in its vaccination rate of children and teens.

WalletHub noted that Massachusetts is one of only 18 states where minors can receive vaccinations without parental consent. The state also requires children be vaccinated against common diseases before attending kindergarten as well.

Massachusetts also has the fourth-highest number of residents participating in an “information immunization system,” a confidential online database recording vaccination data about a particular geographic area. This helps inform people about how safe a certain area is from disease outbreaks, according to WalletHub.

See Also: MA Gov. Maura Healey Defies President Trump, RFK Jr. On Vaccine Mandates

WalletHub noted that vaccinations have greatly reduced the incidence of a wide range of diseases from polio and tetanus to measles and chickenpox. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccines save up to 5 million lives annually.

“Seeing as being anti vaccination has become trendy in some circles and misinformation is all over the internet, it’s more crucial now than ever to spread awareness of the benefits of vaccines and make sure as many people as possible receive potentially life-saving immunizations," WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. "The states that vaccinate the most provide the safest environments when it comes to public health, as the likelihood that the next outbreak will begin or spread there is minimized.”

Here's the full top 10 of the states with the highest vaccination rates:

1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Washington
4. Connecticut
5. Rhode Island
6. Vermont
7. Maine
8. North Dakota
9. Wisconsin
10. Iowa

Read the full study at WalletHub.

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