Cincinnati Public Schools has the lowest rate of vaccinated kindergarteners among Ohio public schools at 23%, an Enquirer analysis of Ohio Department of Health data shows.
Joining CPS among the lowest-ranked districts are Bloomfield-Mespo Local, a small, rural district outside of Cleveland and Lexington Local, a medium-sized district located outside of Mansfield. Both districts reported under half of their kindergarteners as being fully vaccinated.
Those numbers are a far cry from the statewide average of vaccinated kindergarteners, which is 85%.
All this data comes from ODH’s newly launched dashboard of kindergarten vaccinations, curated using numbers that schools are required to self-report to the state each year by Oct. 15.
The strikingly low rates in some districts might reflect issues in missing documentation rather than actual vaccination status, select health officials previously told The Enquirer. Nevertheless, Dr. Stephen Feagins, medical director of Hamilton County Public Health, warned that the lack of documented immunizations could pose complications in the event of an outbreak, when the majority of students’ vaccine status can’t be confirmed.
That scenario might not be far off for many districts. As of May 7, Ohio has 11 reported cases of measles since the start of the year, according to CDC data.
How are the vaccination rates in your district? Find out below.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What’s the vaccination rate in your student’s district? Search here
Reporting by Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
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