(WTAQ-WLUK) — Data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services shows fewer school-age children in the state are being vaccinated than in previous years.
“The issue of COVID-19 vaccinations has become a hot button issue,” said Mark Sommerhauser, communications director for the Wisconsin Policy Forum. “There are a lot of questions, some of which are controversies that impact parents and families making sure their children are vaccinated against a variety of other diseases. Vaccine willingness.”
Immunization rates dropped significantly between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. There was a slight rebound last year, but overall remains well below pre-pandemic levels. This data only considers vaccines required by Wisconsin’s student immunization law.
“Diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, polio and varicella (varicella is the virus that causes chickenpox),” Sommerhauser said.
The nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum collects state policy data for educational purposes.
“Hopefully our study will inform this discussion as I think all of us are looking to get vaccination levels to where they need to be,” Sommerhauser said.
Sommerhauser noted there are differences across the state, but the overall picture remains. That worries Nick Smith, owner of Smith’s Pharmacy.
“For a lot of the younger generations, they haven’t seen the benefits firsthand like the baby boomers did, so they’re more likely to be skeptical about it, and there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Smith said.
When it comes to routine vaccines, Smith said the best advice is to trust medical professionals.
“Vaccines have been around for 60 years,” Smith said. “They did an incredible job. They were one of the greatest innovations or inventions of the 20th century. They eliminated some of the worst diseases in the world. “We don’t want these things coming back. “
Students may be exempt from the vaccine requirement for one of three reasons: health, religious or personal beliefs.
Last year saw a significant increase in individual exemptions across the state.
Home prices in Northeast Wisconsin are better than most areas of the state. The Appleton Area School District is behind by 3% on immunizations, while the Green Bay Area Public School District is behind by 4%.