Vaccination rates among Missouri kindergarteners had fallen many percentage points in the past five years, according to St. Louis Health Director Mati Hlatshwayo Davis.
Speaking during an online media briefing sponsored by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on March 7, 2025, Davis said a lack of immunizations could lead to rising cases of measles and other preventable diseases
Federal officials are beginning to take a more hands-off approach to immunizations and other public health guidance, Hlatshwayo Davis said during the briefing.
The federal government has also been slow to issue guidance on how to test for and prevent avian flu, which has affected millions of birds in Missouri, she said.
“We are seeing trusted places that the community leans into already making adjustments,” she said. “And now is the time for us to have more information that is standardized and clear when things like this occur.”
According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, vaccination rates for polio, measles, hepatitis and other diseases among kindergarteners in Missouri have decreased since at least 2020.
DHSS data shows 10% of the state’s kindergarteners have not been vaccinated against measles. That’s a drop of four percentage points since 2020.
One in 10 kindergarten students is unvaccinated against measles, and close to one-fourth of parochial school students in St. Louis are unvaccinated, Davis said.
Davis added federal budget cuts could affect the city’s health department. More than half the department’s budget relies on grant funding, much of which comes from federal sources, she said.
Fewer vaccines, higher flu rates
Flu-related deaths hit a seven-year high in January and February, the two months that usually account for the height of flu season, according to a Stateline analysis of preliminary federal statistics.
There were about 9,800 deaths across the country, up from 5,000 in the same period last year and the most since 2018, when there were about 10,800.
Despite that, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has canceled or postponed meetings to prepare for next fall’s flu vaccine, when experts talk about what influenza strains they expect they’ll be battling.
The cancellations raised protests from medical professionals and state and federal officials. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, said in a statement that her state is having its worst flu season in at least 15 years, with more deaths from flu and other causes as the state’s health care system struggles under the strain of flu patients.
Some experts say putting off vaccine planning will only feed false narratives that discourage lifesaving vaccinations.
“These delays not only weaken pandemic preparedness but also undermine public confidence in vaccination efforts,” said Dr. Akram Khan, an Oregon pulmonologist and associate professor at Oregon Health & Science University who has studied attitudes toward vaccines.
Flu vaccine distribution in the United States has been declining in recent years, and as of the first week of 2025 was down 16% from 2022, according to federal statistics.
The flu was a factor in 9,800 deaths in January and February, according to the analysis, using provisional data collected by states and compiled by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The highest death rates were in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Kentucky, all at about four deaths per 100,000 population so far this year. Some counties in Florida, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, as well as Oklahoma and Kentucky, were even higher — at about six deaths per 100,000.
The highest rates have been among older people. Statistics show the deaths hit white people and American Indians especially hard.
The American Cancer Society says vaccination for people with cancer may or may not be recommended depending on individual circumstances.
Many states are relaxing vaccine requirements as public skepticism rises. But many are taking action to warn residents and reassure them that vaccinations are safe and can help prevent deaths, despite misinformation to the contrary.
Stateline reporter Tim Henderson and Alvin A. Reid of the St. Louis American contributed to this report