Arizona schools' measles risk is even worse than it appears, Arizona Republic finds

For a third year in a row, the share of Arizona parents exempting their children from school-required vaccines has increased, but the situation is even more perilous as schools have allowed unvaccinated students to attend even without the required exemption.

An Arizona Republic analysis of the state's immunization data, which was released Friday, found more than half of the state's kindergartens have immunization rates below the level required to fend off an outbreak.

This year, more than 555 cases of measles have sprouted in 20 states, including Arizona, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Arizona law says children attending school and child care must obtain certain vaccines, unless they are exempted by a doctor for medical reasons, or by a parent for personal or religious reasons.

Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-health/2019/04/17/arizonas-school-vaccination-rates-falling-and-worse-than-they-appear/3473201002/