WAUKESHA — Fewer students are receiving routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic and through 2023 than from 2015-19, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The Wisconsin Department of Homeland Security reports that nearly 89.9% of students in Wisconsin schools met the minimum vaccination requirements for the 2022-23 school year, which is 1.3% higher than in the 2021-22 school year but still lower than in previous years.
More than 92% of students in grades 1 through 12 in Waukesha County Schools will meet minimum vaccination status requirements in 2022-23, according to data released by the Wisconsin Department of Homeland Security.
For students in grades K-12, minimum requirements include four doses of DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccine, four doses of polio vaccine, three doses of hepatitis B vaccine, and two doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine Vaccine and two doses of chickenpox vaccine.
Children in grades 6 to 12 also need a dose of the Tdap vaccine, which is the adolescent version of DTaP. School vaccination requirements are separate from Department of Homeland Security recommendations, which include other vaccines such as the flu shot.
Parents provide student immunization records to schools, which then report the information to the Wisconsin Department of Homeland Security in the fall of each school year. The full report on the DHS website includes the percentage of students who meet minimum requirements, are receiving required vaccines, are behind schedule on vaccinations, have no vaccination record, have submitted a health, religious or personal belief exemption, or have waived all vaccines.
Dr. Stephanie Shore, Wisconsin’s immunization program manager, said the percentage of vaccinations exempted has increased from the previous year. Most of these exemptions are based on personal beliefs; Sauer said the number of medical and religious exemptions remains almost the same from year to year.
Wisconsin is one of only 15 states in which students and parents can choose individual conviction immunity. September. On the 19th and 20th, Assembly Bill 429 and Senate Bill 442 were introduced respectively. The bills, which are now before committee, would, if passed, expunge individual convictions as a way to waive required vaccinations. Those who do not want to be vaccinated will need to submit a health or religious belief exemption. “People may choose to be exempt for a number of different reasons. In some cases, they may not want to get the vaccine, and in other cases, they may have problems getting the vaccine and haven’t been able to get it,” Sauer said.
Children who have registered for vaccination exemptions do not necessarily avoid receiving any vaccines; only 1.6% of Wisconsin students reportedly did not receive any vaccines during the 2022-23 school year.
“There’s definitely a level of concern or hesitancy about the vaccine … I think the reasons for the decline in rates are more complicated than hesitancy,” Sauer said. “There’s also the issue of access.”
Sauer said fewer children are on or behind schedule for vaccinations than last year. “I think these pieces taken together help paint a picture where issues related to medical access and people going to the doctor might get some emphasis,” she said. “That being said, we still have some progress to get back to pre-pandemic levels.”
While the percentage of fully vaccinated students in each Waukesha County school district in 2022-23 ranges from 88% to more than 95%, vaccination rates vary widely among schools in each district. Some schools do not have vaccination records provided by DHS for the 2022-23 school year; many schools have more than 95% of students fully vaccinated, while other schools have fully vaccinated rates below 50%. A county’s hyperlocal approach to vaccination education and assistance can target specific communities within a district.
The Waukesha County Public Health Department offers an immunization program to help new parents get their children vaccinated in a timely manner, even before they start school. Resources on where to get vaccinated and county immunization clinics can be found on the Public Health Department webpage. Lisa Kwait, communications coordinator for the Waukesha County Public Health Department, said the key message is “conveying the importance of regular immunizations starting from the beginning of a child’s life.”
“We know that immunizations can sometimes be overlooked or delayed, but by initiating them promptly, we can ensure the protection of our community’s youngest members,” Quite said.
The county distributes mailings in English and Spanish tailored to new mothers. It contains information about recommended immunization schedules.
“We recognize that seeking help from regular health care providers can be challenging at times,” Quite said. “That’s where we step in as a resource, ready to help parents who may be having trouble getting their children vaccinated in a timely manner.
“These vaccines are critical not only to children’s health, but also to the collective well-being of our communities.”