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In an encouraging trend, CT health officials see uptick in MMR vaccination rates for kindergarteners

The MMR vaccine for measles, mumps or rubella at Logan Square Health Center in Chicago, Illinois. Among schools with more than 30 kindergarten students, there was a 3% increase in the number of schools with MMR vaccination rates at or above 95%, compared with last year in Connecticut.
Antonio Perez
/
Tribune News Service
The MMR vaccine for measles, mumps or rubella at Logan Square Health Center in Chicago, Illinois. Among schools with more than 30 kindergarten students, there was a 3% increase in the number of schools with MMR vaccination rates at or above 95%, compared with last year in Connecticut.

More kindergarteners in Connecticut received their required measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine shots in the 2023–24 school year, according to the latest data from the state Department of Public Health (DPH).

Among schools with more than 30 kindergarten students, there was a 3% increase in the number of schools with MMR vaccination rates at or above 95%, compared with last year.

Statewide, 97.7% of kindergartners were vaccinated against MMR, an increase of 0.4% from the previous year. This makes Connecticut one of just 11 states in the U.S. with MMR vaccine coverage above 95%, according to the DPH.

That’s the threshold necessary for herd immunity against measles this school year. Nationally, MMR coverage declined from 93.1% to 92.7%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Parents should ensure their children’s immunizations are up to date ahead of the holiday season, the DPH said.

“If parents have any questions or concerns about vaccinating their children, they should discuss them with their child’s primary care provider,” Dr. Manisha Juthani, DPH commissioner, said in a statement. “We want to make sure every child attending school in Connecticut is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles.”

School attendance is crucial to academic success and supports students’ social, emotional and physical well-being, Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, state education commissioner, said in a statement.

“Immunizations are one of the many important tools that help create safe and supportive learning environments for all,” Russell-Tucker said.

Learn more

To get your child’s vaccine record securely online, visit ct.gov/getmyvaccinerecord.

If you have questions regarding the Connecticut Vaccine Program, call 860-509-7929 or email dph.immunizations@ct.gov.

For more information about vaccines, visit the CDC’s website.

Sujata Srinivasan is Connecticut Public Radio’s senior health reporter. Prior to that, she was a senior producer for Where We Live, a newsroom editor, and from 2010-2014, a business reporter for the station.

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