• Revenue Cycle Management
  • COVID-19
  • Reimbursement
  • Diabetes Awareness Month
  • Risk Management
  • Patient Retention
  • Staffing
  • Medical Economics® 100th Anniversary
  • Coding and documentation
  • Business of Endocrinology
  • Telehealth
  • Physicians Financial News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cardiovascular Clinical Consult
  • Locum Tenens, brought to you by LocumLife®
  • Weight Management
  • Business of Women's Health
  • Practice Efficiency
  • Finance and Wealth
  • EHRs
  • Remote Patient Monitoring
  • Sponsored Webinars
  • Medical Technology
  • Billing and collections
  • Acute Pain Management
  • Exclusive Content
  • Value-based Care
  • Business of Pediatrics
  • Concierge Medicine 2.0 by Castle Connolly Private Health Partners
  • Practice Growth
  • Concierge Medicine
  • Business of Cardiology
  • Implementing the Topcon Ocular Telehealth Platform
  • Malpractice
  • Influenza
  • Sexual Health
  • Chronic Conditions
  • Technology
  • Legal and Policy
  • Money
  • Opinion
  • Vaccines
  • Practice Management
  • Patient Relations
  • Careers

The States with the Lowest Child MMR Vaccination Rates

Article

The measles outbreak that started in December in Disneyland has focused attention on the need for vaccination and the danger that exists when large numbers of people forgo their vaccinations. Data show vaccination rates vary significantly from state to state.

vaccine

The measles outbreak that started in December in Disneyland has focused attention on the need for vaccination and the danger that exists when large numbers of people forgo their vaccinations.

Nationwide, the large majority of Americans are vaccinated against measles and other preventable illnesses. According to a 2014 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 91.9% of children ages 19-35 months had received the Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The CDC estimates that among people born from 1994-2013, vaccinations will prevent 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths throughout their lifetimes.

However, as has been widely discussed, vaccine rates can vary significantly across the country, from state to state and county to county.

What follows are the 9 states with the lowest vaccination rates for children ages 19-35 months, based on the CDC’s August 2014 report. The data come from 2013. We’ve ranked the states based on MMR vaccination rates, but the data below include vaccination rates for MMR, DTaP, Hepatitis A and B, Rotavirus, and the combined vaccine series, which includes vaccines for DTaP, poliovirus, measles, Hib (Haemophilus influenza type B), Hepatitis B, varicella, and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

New Mexico

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 89.1%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 79.8%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 67.5%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 49.3%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 68.7%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 65.7%

Wyoming

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 89.0%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 80.9%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 67.0%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 33.6%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 65.7%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 70.0%

Virginia

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 88.6%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 78.8%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 72.3%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 48.0%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 76.2%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 69.2%

Arkansas

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 88.3%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 74.3%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 79.7%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 35.8%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 56.0%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 57.1%

Louisiana

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 88.1%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 78.5%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 81.6%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 50.4%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 69.6%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 69.1%

Montana

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 87.3%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 79.0%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 73.9%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 46.4%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 65.5%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 65.4%

West Virginia

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 86.0%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 83.4%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 73.9%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 57.5%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 68.4%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 65.5%

Colorado

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 86.0%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 81.2%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 60.2%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 47.6%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 73.8%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 69.2%

Ohio

MMR Vaccination Rate (>1 dose): 86.0%

DTaP Vaccination Rate (>4 doses): 75.8%

Hep B Vaccination Rate (birth): 78.1%

Hep A Vaccination Rate (>2 doses): 49.2%

Rotavirus Vaccination Rate: 66.5%

Combined Series Vaccination Rate: 61.7%

Related Videos
Victor J. Dzau, MD, gives expert advice
Victor J. Dzau, MD, gives expert advice