Allegheny County school-age vaccination rates exceed national average
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- As students return to the classroom, Allegheny County says its school-aged vaccination rates are exceeding the national average.
This doesn't involve just the COVID-19 vaccine, which for many, when you hear of 'getting vaccinated,' that's probably what you think of.
That's not required for this. It's really about the many other vaccinations like Hepatitis B, Measles, Polio, and much more.
Right now, 95.3% of children enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade in Allegheny County have received the required immunizations.
The national average sits at 94%, with last year's rate at 95.6%, so it's clear where health officials are concerned, but why are we seeing this drop?
Health department officials say many missed their routine appointments during the pandemic, and there's also been an increase in anti-vaccine rhetoric, but there really is no clear answer for the decline.
There's hope that the vaccination rates for children will go back up to 97%, but we haven't seen a rate at that level since 2016.
Health officials say because we're seeing this decease in children getting vaccinated against various diseases, we're starting to see some of them come back, like Polio.
Officials recommend parents getting their child vaccinated against diseases beyond what Pennsylvania requires.