Connecticut official urges parents to verify student immunizations as school starts

Public health official said Connecticut was recently recognized as the most highly vaccinated state for children and urged parents to confirm that students are current on required immunizations before school starts. "This is an important time as you're getting ready to go back to school to make sure that your children are up to date on all their vaccinations that they need for school," the official said.

The official said the state recorded a measles rate of about 98.3 percent and noted that a 95 percent vaccination rate is generally considered the threshold for measles herd immunity. "We went up about 0.5 percent in the last year since our survey last year," the official said, adding that vaccination coverage dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic because many children were out of school and data backlogs occurred but has since recovered and surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

Officials said keeping immunizations current helps prevent children from missing school and protects people who cannot be vaccinated because of medical reasons. "If 95 percent of the other children are vaccinated, that protects those that are more vulnerable within the community," the official said.

Parents and caregivers were advised to use back-to-school preparations—supplies, schedules and checkups—as a reminder to confirm vaccine records with pediatricians or local health departments. No policy actions or mandates were announced during the segment; the remarks were informational guidance from a public health official.