NBC Investigation Reveals Growing Vaccine Divide Threatening U.S. Children

NBC News released a comprehensive investigation today showing childhood vaccination rates are plummeting across the United States, creating dangerous vulnerabilities to deadly diseases like measles.

The six-month data investigation, conducted in partnership with Stanford University, represents the most thorough analysis of vaccination rates and school exemptions to date. The study reveals that most U.S. counties have experienced declining childhood vaccination rates over multiple years, with significant portions of the country now lacking the basic immunity medical professionals consider necessary to prevent measles outbreaks.

The NBC News analysis focused on essential childhood vaccines including those for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, whooping cough, and diphtheria. Working with infectious disease specialists at Stanford, researchers submitted numerous Freedom of Information Act requests and standardized diverse data sets to map vaccination rates across thousands of counties.

St. Louis serves as a troubling case study, with the diverse urban center experiencing declining immunization rates despite its status as a major metropolitan area. The investigation found that among kindergartners who haven’t received complete vaccination schedules, most families haven’t requested exemptions-these children are simply under-immunized.

The study comes amid the deadliest measles outbreak in rural West Texas and other regions in 25 years, highlighting the real-world consequences of declining vaccination coverage.

Political Division Deepens Health Crisis

The investigation coincides with escalating political battles over vaccine policy under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has systematically undermined federal vaccination programs. Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel in June, replacing them with several known vaccine skeptics.

Florida became the first state to eliminate school vaccine mandates on September 10, with Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo declaring mandates a “violation of bodily autonomy”. The move contradicts polling showing Florida parents overwhelmingly support childhood vaccine requirements.

Meanwhile, Democratic-led states are forming coalitions to counter federal policy changes. California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii launched the West Coast Health Alliance on September 10, pledging to issue their own vaccine recommendations.

Controversial Data Presentation Scheduled

Adding to the turmoil, FDA officials plan to present data next week claiming links between COVID-19 vaccines and 25 child deaths at a CDC advisory committee meeting. The presentation, based on unverified reports from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), has alarmed public health experts who call it “junk science and fear mongering”.

Former FDA officials strongly dispute the claims. “I can assert, without hesitation, that we reviewed all autopsy reports and found nothing,” one former official told NBC News. Medical experts emphasize that VAERS reports cannot establish causation between vaccines and deaths without extensive additional investigation.

The planned presentation has already rattled financial markets, with Moderna stock falling 7.4% and Pfizer dropping 4% on September 12.

Public Health Implications Mount

Current CDC data shows approximately 92% of children remain protected against diseases like measles, whooping cough, and diphtheria. However, the investigation reveals this protection is unevenly distributed and declining in many communities.

Vaccine hesitancy is spreading beyond traditional margins. Kimberly Jones, a St. Louis mother who fully vaccinated four older children, now refuses vaccines for her youngest after the child was diagnosed with autism following an MMR shot-despite no scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism.

The American Academy of Pediatrics continues recommending annual COVID-19 vaccination for children six months to 23 months, while vaccine manufacturers defend their safety records based on over one billion doses administered worldwide.

As states pursue divergent policies and federal guidance remains fractured, public health experts warn the United States is headed toward two distinct vaccination realities that could fundamentally reshape disease prevention nationwide.