MS SR1

Mississippi has the highest kindergarten vaccination rate in the nation at 99.7% coverage among 45,719 students in the 2013-2014 school year, exceeding the national median of 93.3-95%.

The state requires five different vaccines prior to First Grade entry, with immunizations available from birth through age 18, provided free through the Vaccines for Children Program if eligible.

Mississippi allows only medical exemptions to vaccination requirements and does not permit philosophical exemptions; religious exemptions were deemed unconstitutional by the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1979.

The resolution recognizes the Mississippi State Department of Health, rural health clinics, and local physicians for providing vaccinations at low cost and protecting vulnerable populations who cannot be fully immunized.

For U.S. children born between 1994 and 2013, immunizations prevented an estimated 300 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths.