Rice County urges back-to-school vaccination amid county shortfall

Historically, Rice County kindergarteners have been up-to-date on their vaccines at a higher rate than the state as a whole. That wasn’t the case this year.

Rice County Public Health consistently works with community organizations to promote vaccination, especially among youth. Walk-in vaccine clinics are held from 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays at the public health office, which is at 320 Third St. NW in Faribault.

Additionally, staff of the department will be giving vaccines and car-seat checks from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Jefferson Elementary School, as part of the Family Fun Day hosted by the Faribault Youth Empowerment Center.

According to the Minnesota Department of Health data, vaccination rates across the state have declined since the pandemic. Rice County Public Health Disease Control and Prevention/Emergency Preparedness Supervisor Angie Nagel said she worries the county could face consequences.

“Vaccine rates across the state have declined since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said. “This decline is leaving many more students vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. Currently in 2024, there have been 18 cases of measles in the state. I worry about a measles outbreak in Rice County, given the percentage of children not vaccinated.”

Misinformation surrounding vaccines especially picked up during the pandemic, leading to an increased number of outbreaks around the country. While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s data is somewhat outdated at this point, unvaccinated people died at rates well above those who were vaccinated during the worst of the pandemic.

“If parents are hesitant or have questions about vaccines, we encourage them to talk to their child’s health-care provider or a public-health nurse,” Nagel said. “Vaccines are safe and effective in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases.”

There are five required vaccines for kindergarteners headed to their first day of school: DTaP, polio, MMR, hepatitis B and varicella. All five of these can help prevent catching and even spreading potentially fatal diseases.

For the 2023-24 school year, 85% of Rice County kindergarteners were up to date on their MMR vaccines, while 87% of Minnesota kindergarteners had the shots. The county fell short in all five vaccine categories this year.

“Immunizations provide immunity to the students who receive them and help to prevent disease outbreaks,” Nagel said. “Immunizations also help reduce the spread of disease in school, thus reducing the number of students that get sick and are absent. Vaccines also reduce the duration of disease and gets kids back to school sooner after an infection.”