Personal Belief Exemptions and Vaccination Rates in California

Such exemptions are increasing and are of particular concern in regions where high proportions (sometimes >10%) of children remain unvaccinated for personal or medical reasons.

The risk for vaccine-preventable diseases increases when immunization rates decline. Most states allow parents claiming personal belief exemptions (PBEs) to refuse vaccination for their children. Increased exemption rates have been correlated with recent outbreaks of pertussis and measles.

Now, researchers have examined PBE rates among children enrolled in California kindergartens during school years 2001–02 through 2014–15. They mapped these rates to show spatial clusters of low-, medium-, and high-PBE schools and analyzed data on sociodemographic characteristics, school types and locations, and proportions of children receiving free or reduced-price lunches to determine their correlation with PBE rates in school year 2013–2014.

PBE rates in…

Reviewing Author

Deborah Lehman, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Deborah Lehman, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Personal Belief Exemptions and Vaccination Rates in California

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Reviewing Author