New Mexico Department of Health recently announced a statewide decline in the immunization rate of school-age children, reporting that the rate of kindergarten-age children who have received the measles, mumps and rubella immunization has dropped from 97% in 2020 to 94% in 2022.
The estimated benchmark for herd immunity for measles is 95%.
According to NMDOH, individual county’s vaccination rates for school-age children vary greatly, from a high of 95.19% in McKinley County to a low of 67.88% in Catron County. San Juan County is midrange at 89%.
New Mexico is not alone in this drop in vaccinations. Colorado, historically one of the lowest ranked states for childhood immunizations, has declined 2.2 percentage points to 91.8% from the 2020-2021 school year. Rates among kindergarten students were the lowest at 86.7%, a drop of 5.2 percentage points.
Montezuma County, Colorado, is well below the state average for children aged 1 to 12 who are vaccinated against MMR, DTAP, hepatitis B, IPV (polio) and varicella (chickenpox) at 76.02%, according to statistics provided by Montezuma County Health Department public health nurse Julie Jacobson.
San Juan Basin Public Health did not respond to phone calls and emails about immunization rates for La Plata County.
NMDOH Deputy Secretary Dr. Laura Parajon said in a news release, “There is no better time to schedule a well-child visit to keep your child up to date on their immunizations than right now. All vaccines are tested to make sure they are safe and effective. Immunization can save your child's life from life-threatening illnesses like polio and measles.”
Measles is highly contagious. Among those who are not vaccinated, nine in 10 exposed persons will become infected, according to the CDC.
Only two cases of measles have been confirmed by NMDOH in New Mexico in nine years. An unvaccinated Santa Fe County child contracted the illness in 2014, followed in 2019 by a Sierra County case. Regardless of low infection rates, experts believe that a decline in vaccinations could lead to unnecessary infection. Before the vaccine was introduced in 1963, measles claimed 2.6 million lives annually worldwide.
Dr. Larry Pickering, MD, a pediatric infectious disease specialist in Atlanta, told the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, “Until better global control is achieved cases will continue to be imported to the U.S. … outbreaks will persist as long as there are communities of unvaccinated people.”
NMDOH Communications Specialist Trevor Dermody said in an email, “The department believes the reason for the drop in vaccination rate is simply many provider appointments being canceled or skipped over in the past three years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting operations at many offices across the state.” Dermody said the department does not believe anti-vaccination sentiment is a primary driver for the drop in the vaccination rate.
The CDC concurs, citing disruptions in access to health care during the pandemic as a major cause for a worldwide drop in vaccination rates. With that drop has come record numbers of measles cases in the U.S. In 2019, the highest number of cases were reported since 1992 at 1274. Cases fell to 13 in 2020, but rose to 121 in 2022 and as of Feb. 28, three cases have been reported in 2023.
Measles is an airborne disease primarily transmitted through small droplets expelled when coughing or sneezing. The virus can live on surfaces for up to two hours. People can be contagious up to four days prior to the onset of symptoms and for several days after symptoms appear.
Symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat. After three to four days, the distinctive red body rash will appear. Complications may include ear infections, bronchitis, diarrhea, encephalitis, pneumonia, swelling of the brain and blindness. Pneumonia, if contracted, has a fatality rate of one in 20 for children 5 years old and younger. The most severe complications are most common in children younger than 5 years of age who are malnourished or immunocompromised.
While there is no cure for measles, CDC experts agree two doses of the MMR vaccine is 97% effective against contracting measles, 88% effective against contracting mumps and 97% effective against contracting rubella.
There is no federal law in place that regulates immunizations, yet all 50 states have implemented laws requiring children in grades kindergarten through 12th grade to have current immunizations in order to enter public school. In New Mexico, these immunizations include hepatitis A, diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis, polio, MMR and haemophilus influenzae type B.
Parents or guardians must present proof of immunization when registering their child in public school in New Mexico. Acceptable forms of proof of immunization include a printout of a current New Mexico's Statewide Immunization Information System form or an immunization record card. If lost or unable to locate these records, individuals may call (800) 232-4636 to request replacements.
Mandated vaccines are available through health care providers or the county’s public health office. All children are eligible to receive free vaccinations through the federally funded Vaccines for Children program.
All 50 states recognize medical exemptions for children determined to be endangered by an immunization. A licensed physician must attest to the risk to the child to qualify for a medical exemption. Forty-five states, including New Mexico and Colorado, recognize religious exemptions, so long as an officer of the church writes a letter affirming membership and completes a Certificate of Exemption form. Fifteen states, including Colorado, also recognize philosophical or personal belief exemptions. New Mexico does not recognize philosophical or personal belief as an exemption.
Adults are also encouraged to talk to a health care professional to determine whether they need a booster of vaccines such as tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis, which wear off over time.
