<body><div>PADUCAH — Public health concerns are rising as new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data reveals lower vaccination rates and higher exemption rates for kindergarteners.According to data, coverage for every reported vaccine decreased on the national level during the 2024-2025 school year and exemptions from one or more vaccines rose from 3.3% the previous year to 3.6%.The number of kindergarteners who received an exemption for one or more vaccinations in Kentucky did not see a dramatic shift, actually trending down slightly from the 2023 to 2024 school year according to CDC data. Overall exemptions dropped from 2.3% to 2.2%, with medical exemptions shifting from 0.2% to 0.1%, and non-medical exemptions remaining at 2%.Despite the data, kindergarten vaccination coverage for Kentucky kindergarteners trended down by multiple percentage points across the board. The DTP, DTaP, or DT group of vaccines that fights diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis has dropped from 91% coverage to 86.2% according to the CDC.The drop comes as pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has been on the rise in the United States after a peak outbreak in November 2024, according to the CDC.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=00KNxh_13TywEpB00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=00KNxh_13TywEpB00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Dr. Heath Cates, pediatrician at Baptist Health Paducah. BEN OVERBY | For The Sun</figcaption></figure>Dr. Heath Cates, a pediatrician at Baptist Health Paducah, said that cases also peaked locally in November, and that the hospital is still seeing some positive cases of the disease. He said that pertussis is a serious condition for any patient, and that high risk patients like infants are at an increased risk for severe disease, hospitalization, and death.“About half of infants less than 12 months of age get hospitalized if they contract pertussis,” Cates said. “About 25% of infants that contract pertussis will develop apnea, so they actually stop breathing, which is terrifying. That's not something you can manage at home. Those patients need to be hospitalized. And about two-thirds of those patients go on to develop pneumonia.”Cates said that the disease begins with symptoms similar to a common cold, but develops a severe paroxysmal cough after about two weeks. He said it’s common for the cough to last three months.Cates said that routine vaccination is the most effective way to prevent pertussis, among several other diseases. He feels that immunizations are often so effective that they get taken for granted. The diseases they prevent become rare, then in turn vaccination rates drop and the diseases begin to pop up again. He said there has been a decrease in vaccination locally.“I think a lot of parents have some questions,” Cates said. “They want to make sure they're doing what's the best thing for their child, and that's where my job comes into place. So whenever I talk to these parents in the office, it's a discussion centered around that we're on the same team. We want what's best for your child. So it's my job to provide good information.”Cates said that a lot of concern over vaccination is spread through online misinformation and he tries to direct parents to reliable sources like the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics website, healthychildren.org. He also said a lot of concern comes from a fear of the unknown.“If I vaccinate my child, I'm worried that something could happen,” Cates said. “And that sometimes carries more weight with families than realizing that choosing to do nothing also carries risk. Choosing not to vaccinate your child prolongs the length of time that they’re at risk for most diseases.”Cates said parents and patients should speak with their primary care providers for more detailed information about vaccination.</div></body>

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PADUCAH — Public health concerns are rising as new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data reveals lower vaccination rates and higher exemption rates for kindergarteners. According to data, coverage for every reported vaccine decreased on the national level during the 2024-2025 school year and exemptions from one or...

Lowering kindergarten vaccination rates raise concerns

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PADUCAH — Public health concerns are rising as new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data reveals lower vaccination rates and higher exemption rat

Lowering kindergarten vaccination rates raise concerns

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