Current Trends in Vaccine Hesitancy and Refusal

Increasing numbers of parents demonstrate high levels of vaccine concerns. Concurrently, increasing numbers of states allow personal belief exemptions for school required vaccinations. Unvaccinated individuals and communities with high rates of nonmedical vaccine exemptions are at greater risk for vaccine-preventable diseases. Rates of nonmedical vaccine exemptions have continually increased during the last two decades resulting in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and pertussis.