HOUSTON – New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a troubling trend: fewer kindergarteners in Texas are receiving routine childhood vaccinations, while exemptions are on the rise. This decline comes amid a surge in measles cases that have tragically killed children in parts of the country.
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Every year, Texas requires children entering kindergarten and seventh grade to provide proof of immunizations to schools. The only exception is if parents obtain a state-approved exemption.
Dr. Dwayne Broussard, president of the Harris County Medical Society, said vaccinations are age-specific and parents should consult their doctors about which vaccines their children need.
“For kindergarteners, that includes vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis A and B,” Broussard said. “The MMR vaccine - measles, mumps, and rubella - is given twice, once when children are young and again around age five.”
7th graders need fewer vaccines but still require shots for tetanus and meningitis.
The number of parents opting out of vaccines is increasing. In Galveston County, exemptions rose from 1 percent in 2015 to nearly 4 percent in 2025. Harris County saw exemptions more than triple in the same period.
“When vaccine rates drop, diseases like measles can spread quickly,” Broussard said. “We saw this in West Texas, where two children died from measles.”
Although vaccination rates remain relatively high in the Houston area, they have declined since 2020. Harris County’s rate of MMR vaccinations dropped nearly six percentage points.
Here is the percentage of Kindergarteners who have gotten the MMR vaccine and how it’s changed in the last five years:
| County | 2020 | 2024/2025 | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 96.77% | 90.95% | -5.82% |
| Galveston | 97.14% | 97.14% | 97.14% |
| Fort Bend | 98.62% | 95.23% | -3.39% |
| Montgomery | 95.76% | 92.67% | -3.09% |
| Liberty | 97.89% | 96.61% | -1.28% |
| Waller | 98.17% | 95.79% | -2.38% |
| Brazoria | 97.75% | 96.21% | -1.54% |
The World Health Organization recommends a 95 percent vaccination rate to maintain herd immunity, but some Texas counties are now below that threshold.
“That puts everyone at risk,” Broussard said. “The vaccines help to prevent you from getting seriously ill... so it’s kind of like wearing a seatbelt. You know, the seatbelt really didn’t, you know, prevent the accident from happening, but it did prevent you from going through the windshield, so to speak. So we know that there are true benefits to being vaccinated.”
Since the recent measles outbreak in West Texas, more parents have been asking about the MMR vaccine for their children.
“It’s important to have an open talk with your doctor to clear up any misinformation and make the best choice for your family,” Broussard said.
Contact your pediatrician to find out if your child is up to date on immunizations.
