Kentucky ranks among the states with the lowest kindergarten vaccination rates in the country, according to the CDC’s School VaxView survey. Last school year, 86% of Kentucky kindergartners had all of their vaccines, compared to 91% nationwide.
Local Health Concerns
Dr. Patty Swiney of DirectCare Family Health in Bourbon County said educating patients about common misconceptions regarding vaccines is one of her biggest goals when they walk through her door. The CDC reported last week that measles cases in the US are at their highest number in 35 years, amid a decades-long decline in childhood vaccination rates.
Dr. Swiney hopes to bring clarity to families with immunization questions as back-to-school season approaches as well as National Immunization Awareness Month, which begins in August. She emphasized the importance of herd immunity, stating that one in one thousand kids with measles will die.
Original reporting: WTVQ (Lexington) — read the source article.
