@abcworldnews: Exemptions from routine vaccines among U.S. kindergartners increased to a record high 4.2% during the 2025-26 school year, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is up from 3.6% compared to the previous school year. During the 2020-21 school year, the exemption rate was 2.2%. The majority of exemptions were for non-medical reasons, CDC data shows. It's unclear whether the increase in exemptions is because more parents oppose routine childhood vaccines, or if they're opting for non-medical exemptions because they have barriers that make it difficult to vaccinate their children. The data showed that Idaho had the highest exemption rate -- both medical and non-medical -- during the 2025-26 school year at 17.5% followed by Utah, Oregon, Arizona and Nevada. Meanwhile, California, New York and West Virginia each had the lowest exemption rates of 0.1% followed by Connecticut and Maine.

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Tuesday 18 August 2026 20:30:13 GMT