With the new school year now underway, Michigan health officials urge parents to make sure their children are up to date on all the recommended vaccines to prevent serious illnesses.

According to the Michigan Care Improvement Registry, less than 70% of children ages 19-36 months in Michigan have completed the recommended doses. Some of the lowest vaccination rates are in parts of northern Michigan like Keweenaw County, Oscoda County, and Mackinac County.

Health officials say measles, mumps, pertussis, chicken pox, and other serious communicable diseases can spread quickly in unvaccinated children. Vaccination rates of younger children dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In February, Michigan had its first case of measles in five years. An Oakland County child who had traveled internationally tested positive for the disease. Since then, there have been six cases of measles reported in 2024. Annual whooping cough cases are double what they were in all of 2023.

“Parents should know their child’s risk going into the new school year. We’re seeing some of the lowest vaccination rates in more than a decade, which puts our schools and communities at risk,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive for the State of Michigan.

Health officials say that when less than 70% of children in a community are vaccinated, it creates an environment where diseases can spread. They are most concerned when unvaccinated children who have not yet received all the recommended vaccines are clustered together in the same school building.

The CDC recommends the COVID-19 vaccine and an annual flu vaccine for everyone older than 6 months of age. For more information on recommended vaccines and how to get your child ready for school, visit the IVaccinate website.