Medical community alarmed due to downward trend in vaccines among children during pandemic

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — The downward trend in vaccines among children during the pandemic is sounding alarms in the medical community.

“The last two years, we’ve lost a lot of ground,” Dr. Victoria Regan said.

Regan is a pediatrician at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Data from the Texas Department of State Health Services show a drop in vaccination rates among kindergartners for polio and MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), between fall 2019 and fall 2021.

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It comes as New York is preparing to fight a polio outbreak among the unvaccinated.

As recently as 2019, Texas dealt with a surge in measles cases, many of which were in the Houston area.

One of the most significant drops happened at the state’s largest school district: Houston ISD.

In 2019, 95% of HISD’s student population was vaccinated for both MMR and polio. But in the fall of 2021, those rates dropped to 79% for MMR and 78% for polio.

“Once that drops below the 90% threshold, you really increase the risk of having an outbreak of a preventable disease,” Regan said.

Private schools have seen reduced vaccinations among kindergarteners as well:

• A 35% drop in the number of students vaccinated against MMR at Primrose School at Summerwood
• A 22% drop in the number of students vaccinated against MMR at Berean Christian Academy
• A 12% drop in both MMR and polio vaccinations at St. Mark Lutheran School

Regan said children who are vaccinated have a lower chance of catching one of these diseases, but some level of risk remains.

“The reality is, not everyone who is immunized builds a true immune response, she said.

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She said those who are not vaccinated remain at the highest risk for these diseases.

“With our current medical technology, we are probably more likely to save your child, but they can still have serious consequences,” Regan said.

Why the drop in vaccinations?

Chanté Hale, the executive director of Health and Medical Services for HISD, pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as the culprit for the drop in vaccinations.

“Parents weren’t able to get into their doctors,” Hale said. “And when parents miss that important date for getting the vaccination, they kind of forget about it.”

Hale said one-on-one conversations with parents often help them understand the importance of vaccines.

Health officials said conscientious objections have contributed to the decrease as well.

From 2021 to 2022, in Harris County, at least 1.15% of the population used it to be exempt from at least one vaccine, and within HISD it was used 0.47% of the time.

That percentage is more than double what it was 10 years ago when 0.43% of Harris County and 0.64% of state students claimed exemption.

Statewide, conscientious exemptions were used by 1.59% of all kindergarten to 12th-grade students.

“There is misinformation, which is simply getting the facts wrong,” Teri Burke said. “Then there is disinformation, which is a deliberate attempt to distort the truth.”

RELATED: Yes, polio is a routine vaccination in the U.S.

Burke works with the Immunization Partnership and said it’s another reason why people opt out of vaccines for their children. She said more Americans haven’t experienced the devastating effects of diseases like polio – which can cause nerve injury, paralysis, difficulty breathing and even death – or measles, which can be fatal for small children.

“We have two entire adult generations that have never seen these diseases,” Burke said.

Burke said people should not only get their children vaccinated but also help stop the spread of disinformation.

Upcoming HISD vaccine drives

• Peterson Elementary School - Sept. 27 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Pilgrim Academy - Sept. 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Pat Neff Elementary School - Sept. 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• South Early College High School - Sept. 29 from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• Lawson Middle School - Sept. 29 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Hobby Elementary School - Sept. 29 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sanchez Elementary - Sept. 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Anderson Elementary School - Sept. 30 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Jane Long Academy - Sept. 30 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Benavidez Elementary School - Sept. 30 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Madison High School - Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Westbury High School - Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Sharpstown High School - Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Wisdom High School - Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.