Alaska’s Children Should Get Vaccinated

by carlos matías

Alaska is well below the national average for vaccinations
against contagious and dangerous diseases.

On May 21, Alaska recorded its first confirmed case of measles. The child who fell ill was not vaccinated.

In 2024, the percentage of children with all vaccinations was the lowest since 2017, according to the Department of Health.

Alaska Public Media reported that according to a recent bulletin from Alaska epidemiologists, only 76% of kindergarten-age kids in the state were fully vaccinated against measles last year, compared to about 93% of Kindergarteners in the U.S.

There are six recommended vaccines against serious diseases in children, and Alaska is below the national average for all six. The diseases are polio, whooping cough, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella.

Measles is highly contagious and can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis (brain inflammation), diarrhea, and death.

Mumps, which is usually mild, can lead to complications such as inflammation of the testicles or ovaries, deafness, brain inflammation, and even death.

Rubella is highly contagious, usually mild, but can be very serious in pregnant women. It can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or birth defects.

Polio is a potentially fatal disease and, when not treated, can cause permanent paralysis.

Chickenpox is a contagious disease that is usually mild but can be serious in babies, adults, and people with weak immune systems. It can cause complications such as pneumonia or encephalitis.

The CDC recommends seeing a doctor if the person has had an allergic reaction to a previous dose of the MMR vaccine; if the person is pregnant or thinks she might be pregnant; if she has had a disease associated with bruising or bleeding; or if she has received another vaccine in the past four weeks.
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Declining measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates in Alaska could put the health of Alaskans at risk, the Department of Health stated.

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