Childhood vaccination rates in Minnesota: 4 questions, answered

Childhood immunization rates continue to decrease in Minnesota, going down from more than 90 percent of kindergartners fully vaccinated before school in 2019 to 87 percent this year.

It may seem like a small shift, but since last year there have been multiple measles outbreaks in the Twin Cities and an all time high of pertussis, or whooping cough cases.

Local pediatricians worry about the slide in vaccinations. They’re seeing skepticism rising among parents and politicians sowing doubts.

MPR News asked Dr. Andrea Singh, chair of pediatrics for Park Nicollet and a board member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Minnesota chapter, about what pediatricians are seeing.

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This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

1) Childhood vaccination rates have been on the decline, especially pertussis. Why?

Pertussis mirrors kind of what happens with a lot of these communicable diseases. So when our immunization rate starts to get a little bit lower, we lose a little bit of herd immunity.

It looks like there’s nearly 2,000 pertussis cases reported in Minnesota this year so far, compared to 61 at this point last year. So pertussis is just one of those diseases, as are many of the diseases that we vaccinate kids for, that is super contagious.

Pertussis in particular, is most dangerous to our little babies, and actually can be quite deadly for newborns and really young infants.

2) How is the changing political environment around vaccines affecting care?

I think what we’re seeing in clinics and offices is just more doubt. Hesitancy to follow routine vaccine schedules. And I think how this is manifesting in the clinic, is that parents are either not wanting to get their children vaccinated, or they have many questions about the science behind vaccinations.

And absolutely, folks should be talking to their medical professionals about the science behind vaccinations and understanding why you are recommended to follow certain schedules. I think that’s really important.

The flip side of that is when there is this doubt about the science behind things and the entire visit is taken up talking about science that has been proven over many, many years in our country. There’s not a lot of time to hit on other routine childhood issues like mental health or healthy eating or school performance, and all of that is really important to overall child health.

3) What do you say to families who have doubts?

I think keeping an open dialog with families is really important — understanding that 99 percent of parents just want what’s best for their kids.

I mean, we go into decisions about our children, knowing that they are our most precious resource in the world, and so we want to do what we can to protect them. And when there are seeds of doubt stoked in places like social media or by folks that may not have medical degrees, it causes fear in all of our hearts as parents.

That’s why it’s really important to then take the next step as a parent or a guardian or a loved one and ask somebody who has knowledge and expertise in the area the questions that are scaring you.

4) Are medical providers preparing for an increase in medical skepticism?

I think that medical professionals in general are ready to continue to practice evidence based medicine. It doesn’t matter to me, necessarily, who the governing body is, as long as I can best take care of kids, following evidence based medicine.

I think it’s really important as a pediatrician to focus on preventative health. Vaccines are one of the most important public health successes that we have ever had in the world.