Requests for vaccine exemption forms have significantly risen in Texas. The Texas Tribune reported on Monday that there was a substantial 36% increase in July, just ahead of the new academic year, compared to the same period in 2023.
Each applicant can seek exemptions for as many as eight individuals. Consequently, the number of children potentially included in these exemption requests has escalated from 23,231 in 2023 to a startling 30,596 this past July, according to data provided by the Tribune.
If exemption rates continue on this trajectory, Texas schools are set to experience the lowest vaccination rates in decades. Moreover, obtaining exemption forms will become even easier starting September 1, thanks to a new law that allows these forms to be downloaded rather than requiring them to be mailed.
Texas has more than 25,000 kindergartners who are not fully vaccinated against measles, leading the nation in this regard, according to a report released last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Florida and California follow in second and third place, respectively.
With a 95% vaccination rate deemed the benchmark for herd immunity, Texas kindergartners’ vaccination rate is teetering around 93%, with some school districts reporting rates as low as 80%, as per the Tribune.
Despite these concerning figures, the Texas Department of State Health Services did offer a glimmer of hope on Monday, declaring that the measles outbreak that had struck West Texas is officially over. It has been 42 days since a new case was reported.