3 Michigan Cities Aren’t Vaccinating Kids: Report

MICHIGAN — A rise in non-medical exemptions by families to opt out of vaccinations for their kids have created hotspots in the U.S. where the risk of contracting diseases like measles are growing, according to a new study. In Michigan, three cities are not vaccinating, it says: Detroit, Troy and Warren.

The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS Medicine, found 12 of 18 states allowing exemptions to vaccines for religious or philosophical reasons have shown an increase in the number of kindergarten-age children enrolled in school with NMEs since 2009, USA Today reported.

Researchers studied data on exemptions using data from the 18 states and CDC, focusing on school years from 2009-10 to 2016-17. As a result, hotspots have developed where the risk of kids getting diseases like measles has jumped because of the growing number of non-medical exemptions, according to the report.

USA Today reported that the rise in unvaccinated children stems from a discredited belief vaccines are linked to autism. In recent years, multiple outbreaks of measles — once considered eliminated by the CDC in 2000 — have popped up.

The 12 states showing an increase in exemptions are Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. Six more states — Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Washington and Wisconsin — also allow the exemptions.

The study also isolated 15 metropolitan areas where more than 400 kindergarten-aged children aren't vaccinated:

• Michigan — Detroit, Troy, Warren
• Arizona — Phoenix
• Utah — Provo, Salt Lake City
• Washington — Seattle, Spokane
• Oregon — Portland
• Texas — Houston, Fort Worth, Plano, Austin
• Pennsylvania — Pittsburgh
• Missouri — Kansas City

According to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2015, nearly 92% of kids ages 19 to 35 months received a vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Most states require children to have up-to-date vaccinations to enroll in public schools.

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