When it comes to measles, the United States has a problem. But it isn’t just a policy problem, it’s a math problem — even if everyone attending in-person school were vaccinated, we’d still fall short.

Measles cases have been reported in 38 states this year, and vaccination coverage rates are below the 95 percent threshold needed for community protection. We face a genuine public health crisis. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently called for eliminating all non-medical vaccine exemptions, arguing this will get us there.

It won’t, and it might make the problem worse.

National measles coverage rates for kids attending in-person kindergarten are at 92.7 percent. But only 92-94 percent of children attend school in person, leaving about 6-8 percent of kids in homeschooling or onl

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