NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Health experts report fewer children are receiving vaccinations, leading to a significant increase in illnesses and even deaths from diseases that were once nearly eliminated in the U.S.
Dr. Jewel Mullen, the Associate Dean for Health Equity at Dell Medical School, told News 2 vaccination rates were high before the COVID-19 pandemic, but the U.S. is currently at risk of losing community immunity against several infectious diseases.
She explained vaccines are crucial in preventing diseases, especially for those who are immunocompromised and at higher risk of severe illness.
“It’s extra important for us to be following this because some of the diseases that I’m talking about, especially for children, like measles, whooping cough, and chicken pox are conditions that many people aren’t familiar with because vaccines work so well,” Mullen said.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH), there was a 92.8% immunization coverage rate for the state’s kindergartners for the 2023-24 school year, which marks three straight years of falling rates.
In Davidson County, 91.3% of kindergartners were fully compliant for the 2023-24 school year, down 1.3% from the year before.
Health experts find that the immunization coverage rate should remain above 95% to keep low risk for an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Through Mullen’s research, she believed misinformation and disinformation are contributing to vaccine hesitancy.
A TDH report found the number of Tennessee kindergarten students without complete immunization records reached an all-time high of 7.2% during the 2023-24 school year. Additionally, the number of students filing for a religious exemption has increased annually since 2019, reaching a record high of 3.4% in the 2023-24 school year. The TDH added that Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and most Christian faiths (including Catholic and Baptist) have no tenets in opposition to vaccines.
“My parents and parents before them lived with fear because they weren’t able to protect their children and they were seeing the impacts of these diseases,” Mullen said. “We have a generation of parents who never experienced or rarely experienced those diseases, and they might not realize the importance of keeping their children protected now.”
The Metro Public Health Department offers vaccine services by appointment at all three of their clinics. You are asked to call your nearest clinic to schedule an appointment to keep your child up-to-date on their immunizations.
- East Public Health: 1015 East Trinity Lane Nashville, TN 37216
- 615-862-7916
- Woodbine Public Health: 224 Oriel Ave Nashville, TN 37210
- 615-862-7940
- Lentz Public Health: 2500 Charlotte Ave Nashville, TN 37209
- 615-340-5607
