New Pa. data reveals vaccination gaps school by school

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The kindergarten measles vaccination rate in Pennsylvania is below what public health officials recommend for herd immunity. And, some schools appear to have a substantial number of children in classrooms despite not receiving their required shots.

The data comes from a state immunization tracking tool that — for the first time — displays vaccination rates at individual schools.

The Shapiro administration said:

At a time when misinformation and conspiracy theories are sowing distrust in longstanding medical guidance, and reversing decades of science-backed progress, it’s more important than ever that DOH provide Pennsylvanians with as much accurate information as possible. The new tool makes it easier for parents and community members to view annual vaccination rates at individual schools — not just at the state or county-level like before — boosting transparency and giving families a clearer picture of how well protected their children’s classrooms are.

A KYW Newsradio analysis finds that nearly 94% of kindergartners in Pennsylvania are fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), which is below the 95% benchmark. Montgomery County is the only county in the greater Philadelphia region to reach that threshold.

Rates are lower — about 91% — among seventh-graders for the required Tdap and meningococcal vaccines.

Nearly 93% of high school seniors are up to date on the meningitis vaccine.

In our area, Philadelphia and Delaware counties have the lowest seventh-grade vaccination rates, and the most students who have not satisfied state immunization rules.

Across Pennsylvania, schools reported thousands of students in attendance, even though their vaccination records do not meet state requirements. However, the data does not reveal how many are actually missing shots, or if it’s a matter of unprocessed paperwork.