Idaho recorded the nation’s highest kindergarten vaccine exemption rate for the 2025-26 school year, with 17.5% of incoming kindergartners claiming an exemption from at least one required vaccine, according to an analysis of CDC data published by KFF. The Idaho…
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Pennsylvania health officials have confirmed two measles-associated deaths. The individuals were unvaccinated. The deaths are the first measles-related fatalities in Pennsylvania in 35 years, the commonwealth’s health department said Aug. 25. They are also the first two U.S. measles deaths…
Florida’s Department of Health has published a proposed rule that would eliminate school immunization requirements for chickenpox, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B and pneumococcal disease. The proposal, published Aug. 24, would remove requirements for immunizations not mandated by state…
Federal health officials are seeking public comment on whether to add new categories to the childhood vaccine schedule, according to a request for information HHS published Aug. 24 in the Federal Register. The public has until Sept. 20 to comment.…
A potential measles exposure at its neonatal intensive care unit has prompted Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger to tighten the unit’s visitation rules. Effective Aug. 21, only parents or legal guardians without measles symptoms may visit patients in the NICU, and all…
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COVID-19 test positivity has ticked up nationally, reaching its highest level since February, according to CDC surveillance data tracking respiratory virus activity. A June 2026 CDC outlook had anticipated more summer transmission in Southern and Western states that saw comparatively…
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak is doubling about every 20 days, Tom Fletcher, the United Nations’ Under-Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said Aug. 14. As of Aug. 17, the outbreak has 5,105 cases and 2,420…
Vaccination coverage among the nation’s kindergartners slipped again in the 2025-26 school year while the share of children claiming exemptions climbed to a record 4.2%, new CDC data shows. Coverage for the MMR vaccine fell to 92.4%, down from 92.5%…
Blacklegged ticks carrying Lyme disease have expanded into the mountains of western North Carolina, far south of the disease’s traditional Northeast and Upper Midwest range, according to an Aug. 13 CDC report. Researchers surveilling 22 residential properties in Biltmore Forest,…
The CDC is tracking more than 24,000 cyclosporiasis cases and 700 hospitalizations tied to ongoing outbreaks across the U.S. Four things to know: 1. As of Aug. 11, the CDC has recorded 13,895 laboratory-confirmed cases across 47 states, including 740…