OKLAHOMA CITY– 91% of Oklahoma kindergarten students are fully vaccinated according to results of the 2019-2020 Kindergarten Immunization Survey, an annual assessment of vaccination coverage and exemption status of children enrolled in public and private kindergarten programs.

Analysis of this survey drives public health policy and program activities to improve vaccination coverage in Oklahoma and prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) includes all states’ survey results in the national kindergarten survey report, published each fall.

Schools provide the number of kindergarten students who are up-to-date on vaccines for polio, varicella, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP), and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). Vaccine-specific exemptions are reported by type: medical and nonmedical. Results for schools with less than 10 kindergarteners are not reported to protect student anonymity.

During the 2019-20 school year, 763 schools were surveyed. The school participation rate was 79.5%, which is 6.9% lower that of 2018-2019 (86.4%). 84% of public schools and 42% of private schools submitted responses, which represent 88% of students enrolled in public programs and 53% of students enrolled in private.

The highest vaccination rates among kindergartners were for the Varicella (1+ doses) and Hepatitis B vaccines. MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine coverage had the lowest rates. Immunization exemption rates were found to be 2.56% for public schools and 5.28% for private.