Overview

• The share of Ohio kindergarteners meeting vaccine requirements fell 4.5% over four years, according to health director Bruce Vanderhoff.
• Vanderhoff said much of the decline reflects rising skepticism about vaccines.
• Through Aug. 19, officials tracked more than 1,300 measles cases nationwide, 92% in unvaccinated or unknown-status individuals.
• State leaders said Ohio’s vaccine exemption rate is higher than the national average even though most children are vaccinated by school entry.
• Medical experts highlighted strong safety data from clinical trials and a Denmark study of over one million children, and they promoted HPV vaccination given CDC estimates of 36,000 U.S. cancer cases each year.