MS SC565

Mississippi achieved the highest national kindergarten vaccination rates with 99.7% coverage among 45,719 students during the 2013-2014 school year, exceeding the national median of 93.3-95% for MMR, DTaP, and varicella vaccines.

Mississippi requires five different vaccines prior to entering First Grade and is one of 31 states that does not allow philosophical exemptions for school or day care attendance.

The state grants all medical exemptions submitted by licensed pediatricians, family physicians, or internists, and the Mississippi Supreme Court deemed religious exemptions unconstitutional in 1979.

Immunizations are provided at low cost by the Mississippi State Department of Health, rural health clinics, and local physicians, with free vaccines available to those qualifying for the Vaccines for Children Program.

This concurrent resolution recognizes public and private health providers for maintaining high vaccination coverage that protects vulnerable populations from vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.