School vaccine exemptions rising in Dallas-Fort Worth

A growing number of Dallas-Fort Worth parents have been opting out of vaccines for religious or personal reasons.

Why it matters: While official data lags, public health experts tell Axios anecdotal reports suggest vaccination rates continue to fall, leaving the population more vulnerable to outbreaks.

Zoom in: About 3.5% of Texas kindergartners had vaccine exemptions in the 2022-23 school year, more than the national median of 3.3%, per the CDC .

• In Dallas County, 2.6% of kindergarteners in 2022-23 were exempted from vaccines for religious or personal beliefs, compared to 0.84% in 2013-14, per state health department data .
• In Tarrant County, exemptions increased from 1.5% in 2013-14 to 4.4% in 2022-23.

How it works: Texas grants exemptions if a vaccine isn't safe for the student, the student is in the military or the student's religious or personal beliefs oppose immunization.

• A parent or legal guardian can request an affidavit to ask for an exemption from required vaccines.

Threat level: Parents aren't just opting out of well-known childhood shots against measles, mumps and rubella known as MMR. They're also turning down vaccines against whooping cough, chicken pox, meningitis and the flu, Tom Lacy of Nemours Children's Health says.

• A 95% vaccination rate is needed to maintain herd immunity against a disease like measles, Lacy says.

Yes, but: It's not just hesitancy — "a perfect storm" of factors like physician shortages and pharmacy closures are putting a drag on vaccination rates, says FarmboxRx CEO Ashley Tyrner.

What's next: New COVID-19 vaccine boosters are being rolled out to local pharmacies.