Vaccination Rates Decline as Cases Rise
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – As vaccine preventable diseases continue to spread in parts of the United States, pediatricians are encouraging families to review their children’s immunizations.
The end of April marked National Infant Immunization Week, a time when doctors remind parents to schedule checkups and discuss vaccines before summer travel and the next school year.
Children are exposed to thousands of germs every day through the air, food, and surfaces around them. Pediatricians say vaccines help build protection against serious and sometimes life-threatening illnesses.
The CDC reports more than 1,800 measles cases in the United States so far in 2026. At the same time, vaccination coverage for key immunizations including measles, mumps and rubella, polio, and DTaP has declined.
Doctors say that drop in coverage has contributed to outbreaks in multiple states.
Routine childhood vaccinations have prevented hundreds of millions of illnesses and more than one million deaths over the past several decades.
Pediatricians recommend following the standard immunization schedule to protect children and teens from more than a dozen preventable diseases.
They also encourage parents to speak directly with their child’s doctor to better understand which vaccines are needed and when.
