Some children face challenges with their immune systems or have conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated. Recently, however, more families are citing “religious” or “personal” reasons for not vaccinating their kids.
This trend has been fueled by individuals like Kennedy, who argues that vaccination should be a “personal choice.”
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has informed schools and clinics receiving federal funds from the Vaccines for Children Program—offering free vaccinations for children who are uninsured or underinsured—that they must acknowledge any “religious and conscience-based exemptions to vaccine mandates.”
Bill Winfrey, the vice president of policy and strategic initiatives at Saint Louis Integrated Health Network, a nonprofit focused on reducing health disparities, thinks that skepticism about vaccine safety, even from trusted health authorities, contributes to this issue.
“When people are uncertain, it’s easier to opt out. They think, ‘If there’s any doubt, I won’t do this,’” he explained.
For many of the nearly 20% of kindergarteners lacking a complete vaccination schedule, it’s not that their families have requested an exemption—they simply haven’t been adequately immunized.
‘Measles can be deadly’
Kimberly Jones, a mother of five living in a diverse area south of downtown St. Louis, ensured that her four older children received all recommended vaccinations on time. They were all quite healthy.
However, her perspective shifted after her youngest child, 4-year-old Za’riyah, began lagging in developmental milestones around the time she received her first MMR shot in 2023.
Za’riyah has since been diagnosed with autism. While there’s no scientific backing to suggest a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, Jones, 44, feels concerned because of the significant rise in autism diagnoses over the last two decades, leading her to wonder if vaccines have changed in some way.
“I don’t trust any vaccines anymore, old or new,” Jones remarked.
Boleyjack from Saint Louis Public Schools noted that many parents have voiced their concerns about autism and vaccines lately.
“I usually share my own story: I have a child with autism, and I don’t believe that his condition was caused by immunization,” she said, emphasizing the lack of supporting research.
Some parents have reconsidered their views, while others remain steadfast. “And that’s okay,” she added. “I just want everyone to have correct information.”
Boleyjack aims to achieve an 80% vaccination rate in public schools for the upcoming year. It’s still below what’s needed for herd immunity, but it would represent progress, she hopes, through education and improving access to vaccines and healthcare.
“Measles can be deadly,” she cautioned. “That’s a real concern.”
‘Do you have a gun in your home?’
For parents Emily Pratt, 39, and Ryan Pratt, 41, in St. Louis, the drop in vaccination rates is alarming.
Their daughter, Lucy, has a rare autoimmune disorder known as juvenile dermatomyositis, which leaves her particularly vulnerable to even minor illnesses. She takes medication to control her immune system’s overactivity.
As a result, Lucy can’t fend off simple colds. “We have four kids. If one gets a cold, they recover in three days,” Emily Pratt explained. But Lucy? “She might be sick for two weeks. She tends to get sicker than her siblings.”
