Ohio's child immunization rates are dropping amid major measles outbreak

Ohio's child immunization rates are dropping amid major measles outbreakBack to school season is upon us, sparking concerns over the increased number of children returning to Ohio's classrooms unvaccinated. The number of kindergarteners nationally with exemptions has risen 18% since last year to 4% of all kindergarten students, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccinations are a controversial topic nationally, with the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. being a strong advocate against immunization. As the country has seen a resurgence in measles, even he has changed his tune, urging families to vaccinate against the disease that was once considered eradicated. In Ohio, 109 measles cases have been reported, according to the Ohio Department of Health's summary of infectious diseased dashboard. That's over double the number of cases for all of 2025. 24 reports were made in both Geauga and Ashtabula counties alone, which also have some of the highest nonmedical immunization exemption rates in the state. Guests:- Mark Evans, M.D., Pediatrician, Akron Children’s Pediatrics, Brecksville- Valerie Wallace, RN, Public Health Communicable Health Disease Nurse, Tuscarawas County Health Department OhioSEE program expands access to children's vision careIn January, the Ohio Department of Health launched the Ohio Student Eye Exam program, also known as Ohio SEE, hoping to reduce the number of children in the state with untreated vision problems. Despite schools providing free vision screening to students starting in elementary school, 35,000 students who needed glasses in the 2022-2023 school year did not get them, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Vision problems are common in children, and the sooner they can be treated the better. Guests:- Bruce T. Vanderhoff, M.D., Director of Health, Ohio Department of Health- Danielle Sabelli, O.D., Optometrist, Cleveland Eye Clinic