Minnesota Kindergarten Vaccination Rate Falls to 86% as U.S. Measles Cases Near 3,000
Updated
Updated · FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul · Aug 30
Minnesota Kindergarten Vaccination Rate Falls to 86% as U.S. Measles Cases Near 3,000
1 articles · Updated · FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul · Aug 30
Summary
CDC data put Minnesota's kindergarten vaccination rate at about 86%, down more than 6 percentage points since the pandemic and ahead of only Wisconsin and Idaho.
Nearly 7% of Minnesota children now hold vaccine exemptions, with doctors blaming rising conscientious opt-outs and broader skepticism for weakening school-age protection.
Aaron Siri, a vaccine lawyer advising HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., drew nearly 200 people to a St. Louis Park lecture where he challenged Minnesota's required childhood shots.
Doctors and vaccine advocates say that message conflicts with evidence that vaccines such as MMR, hepatitis B and chickenpox reduce transmission and have long-established safety records.
Minnesota's debate is intensifying as national measles cases approach 3,000 in 2026—the highest level since 1990—and the state medical association prepares another push to end conscientious exemptions in 2027.
With Minnesota kindergarten vaccination rates plummeting to 86%, could a hidden cluster of unvaccinated students trigger the next major measles outbreak?
As lawmakers push to ban personal vaccine exemptions in 2027, will forcing compliance restore public health or spark a massive parental backlash?