Overview

• Health officers from 12 Bay Area counties and the City of Berkeley issued a joint statement on Thursday urging parents to schedule well-child visits and confirm that children are up to date on MMR and other required immunizations before school begins
• The United States has recorded 1,319 measles cases this year, surpassing the 2019 total, while only 92.7 percent of kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles—below the threshold needed for herd immunity
• California state law mandates vaccines for students in public and private schools as well as early childhood programs ahead of the 2025–2026 academic year
• Health officials warn that vaccine skepticism amplified by social media and recent federal policy shifts has hindered immunization efforts and risks undoing decades of disease elimination progress
• Families are encouraged to verify their children’s vaccination status through California’s Digital Vaccine Record portal and to seek low- or no-cost immunizations at local public health clinics if needed