Updated on February 6, 2025.
Childhood vaccination rates are declining in the United States. Access issues, financial barriers, and vaccine hesitancy and misinformation have led to fewer kids being immunized for preventable diseases. Over time, this can lead to more illness, more hospitalizations, and more deaths.
Why vaccines are crucial
Though measles, whooping cough, and other preventable illnesses still circulate, they are much less widespread due to vaccines. “They do a great job at controlling the transmission and spread of these diseases,” says Tina Tan, MD, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
It all has to do with what’s called herd immunity, explains Tan. That’s when a large enough portion of a community—the so-called herd—is immune to a specific disease due to vaccination or prior illness. Herd immunity makes it harder for illness to spread. It also offers some protection to people who are vulnerable and cannot receive vaccinations, such as newborns and those with chronic illnesses.
In the case of many childhood diseases, herd immunity is achieved through vaccines. Immunity is important because these illnesses can be serious. Measles, whooping cough, mumps, and others can cause brain swelling, pneumonia, paralysis, deafness, and even death.
Anti-vaccination sentiments persist
Declining vaccination rates allow preventable childhood diseases to come out of the shadows, Tan says. In years past, there have been troubling outbreaks of childhood diseases—particularly measles—that had previously been brought under control by vaccination. The reason for the outbreaks: Some parents are reluctant to get their kids vaccinated.
In 2019, a measles outbreak caused almost 1,300 infections. In New York, for example, one unvaccinated child, infected in Israel, spread the highly contagious disease to 649 under-vaccinated children in one community. Some fell seriously ill.
Many parents are hesitant to vaccinate their children, or are flatly opposed to one, some, or even all immunizations. This trend was super-charged by the COVID pandemic. Parents who express misgivings about vaccines are primarily worried about the safety of shots or feel they need more information about them. Others oppose them for religious or philosophical reasons.
A big problem is misinformation put out by anti-vaccination groups on social media sites and around the internet, Tan says. Parents searching for facts about vaccines may unknowingly click on anti-vaccination sites.
Contrary to what these groups often profess, the current vaccine supply is actually the safest in U.S. history, according to the CDC. Safety is actively monitored long after vaccines are on the market. A July 2020 review in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that safety monitoring led to label changes in 25 out of 57 vaccines approved by the FDA from 1996 through 2015. Most changes were related to the vaccines’ effect on specific groups of people, like pregnant women or people with allergies or compromised immune systems.
Misinformation thrives online
Some stubborn myths about vaccine safety are still thriving. Here is the truth about vaccines.
Vaccines don’t cause autism
A long-discredited, small study from the 1990’s falsely linked the MMR vaccine to autism. Larger studies have since debunked the theory.
Vaccines don’t cause diseases they’re meant to prevent
They don’t contain active virus, so they can’t give your child a disease. Vaccines stimulate the immune system to make antibodies to protect your child from viruses.
Vaccines aren’t toxic
They may contain tiny amounts of formaldehyde, mercury, and aluminum salts to keep them sterile and work effectively. But the amounts of these substances in vaccines are so small that they are not harmful. In fact, these chemicals are more often found in foods or occur naturally in the body. Thimerosal—once a concerning additive for many parents—was removed from pediatric vaccines in 2001, even though many studies have proven it is safe.
How to keep your child healthy
Make sure your children are current on immunizations, whether they attend kindergarten or college. It’s safer for your kids and their classmates.
Here are some tips to stay on top of your immunization schedule.
Play catch-up
If your child may have missed shots, you can often get them caught up. Talk to their healthcare provider (HCP) and work out a plan.
Schedule a well-child visit
In addition to shots, your child may need other important physical and developmental exams and evaluations.
Get your flu vaccine
In addition to following the childhood vaccination schedule, it’s important that everyone in the family ages 6 months and older gets a yearly flu shot. Even if you still get the flu, its symptoms may be less severe.
