Rising Vaccine Exemptions Threaten America’s Public Health and National Security

The latest federal data reveals a concerning trend: U.S. vaccination rates among kindergarteners have declined again in the 2024-25 school year, while parental exemptions from vaccine requirements reached an unprecedented 4.1%—the highest ever recorded. This marks the third consecutive year of rising exemptions, predominantly driven by nonmedical reasons.While some may frame this as a personal choice, the reality is far graver for our nation’s health and security. Schools are not just centers for learning but critical battlegrounds against contagious diseases like measles—a disease seeing its worst outbreak in over three decades with more than 1,300 cases nationally so far. When...