Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 in counties across US

By DEVI SHASTRI and NICKY FORSTER

Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data — including in states that are battling outbreaks this year.

A Johns Hopkins University study, published in JAMA this week , illustrates where more vulnerable communities are located. The results mirror trends established at state and national levels : Routine childhood vaccination rates are dropping.

“When you look at the state level or national level … you really don’t see those drastic drops. Those are there. They’re real and they’re really problematic,” said Lauren Gardner, an expert in infectious disease modeling at Johns Hopkins University who is the paper’s senior author