Today in Ohio hosts blast anti-vaccine parents as Ohio’s kindergarten immunity drops again

Ohioans should be alarmed by the state’s growing vulnerability to preventable diseases, as Ohio’s vaccination rates for kindergartners have plummeted to dangerous levels, say the hosts of the Today in Ohio podcast.

In a lively discussion Wednesday’s episode ot the news discussion podcast, hosts said anti-science idiocy has persuaded parents to eschew proven vaccine technology..

“We are down to 85.4% of kids, kindergartners up to date on their vaccines for this school year. That’s down from 86% in the previous year,” said Laura Johnston. Vaccinations for MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) dropped from 89% last year to 88.3% this year” compared to “about 92.5% in 2019-2020.

These numbers fall dangerously below the threshold needed for community protection against highly contagious diseases like measles.

“You have to be at 95% vaccination for herd immunity. We’re way below that,” emphasized Lisa Garvin.

Johnston explained the severity of the threat: “Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases. It’s highly transmissible, spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, up to two hours, lingers after that sick person has left a room.”

The hosts didn’t shy away from connecting the vaccination decline to political polarization. Johnston noted that Ohio’s rates being “quite a bit underneath the national average” wasn’t surprising “when you look at how Trumpy this state is and how there’s… this idea. We don’t want to look at the science. We’ve somehow made vaccines partisan.”

Chris Quinn didn’t mince words about parents who avoid vaccinating their children: “You’re a moron. You could have avoided this with a simple embrace of solid, proven science instead of following your Facebook wacko friends down rabbit holes of anti-science nonsense.”

What makes measles particularly dangerous is not just its extreme contagiousness but its impact on the immune system. Quinn explained that measles “makes your body forget all of the bacteria and viruses you’ve had. So when you get them again, your immune system no longer is ready to block it.”

The podcast discussion highlighted how ideology has trumped public health in many communities, with alternative health misinformation spreading despite warnings from medical professionals. Even Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, head of Ohio’s health department and a DeWine appointee, has been fighting an uphill battle against misinformation.

“This is a Republican standing there saying vitamin A isn’t going to work… That’s not going to keep you from getting the measles. Go get vaccinated,” Johnston said.

For the full discussion about Ohio’s declining vaccination rates and the potential public health consequences, tune in to the Today in Ohio podcast, where cleveland.com journalists dive deep into the stories that matter most to Northeast Ohioans.

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Today in Ohio, a news podcast discussion by cleveland.com editors. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.

Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.