SOUTH DAKOTA — Close to half of South Dakotans aren’t up-to-date on their flu shots or their

hepatitis B

vaccinations,

new vaccine survey results

released by the South Dakota Department of Health indicate.

About 63% aren’t up-to-date on their

HPV vaccinations

, which protect against most cases of cervical cancer, and 78% aren’t up-to-date on their

pneumococcal vaccinations

, which help protect against pneumococcal infections.

That’s “concerning” to Keith Hansen, president of the South Dakota State Medical Association. Vaccinations are “one of the most important developments in health” to keep people and communities healthy, he said.

As a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist, he is especially concerned with how vaccine-preventable diseases can affect pregnant women and newborn children.

“It’s really sad when someone isn’t vaccinated and then they come into the hospital because they caught a vaccine-preventable disease,” Hansen said. “Now they have some bad outcome that could have been prevented.”

The state Health Department conducted the survey to better understand vaccination behaviors, decision-making and awareness of the vaccine schedule. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant funded the survey.

More than a quarter of survey respondents said the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted their views on vaccines. Those respondents also had lower vaccination rates for the flu and COVID, at 34% and 4%, respectively.

Among all survey respondents, 96% reported ever being vaccinated. About 98% of respondents with children reported that their child had received at least one vaccination.

About 96% of respondents said they get at least “some” vaccines recommended by their doctor, and nearly 93% of respondents said they follow the routine or a delayed vaccination schedule for their child.

Carmen Toft, director for South Dakota Families for Vaccines and board vice president of Immunize South Dakota, said the state should “celebrate” those positive statistics.

The goal, Toft said, is to reach vaccination rates above 95% to reach herd immunity, which is when the prevention of infectious diseases becomes most effective.

While most vaccination rates in the survey are lower than Hansen or Toft prefer, up-to-date Tdap vaccination rates were highest among respondents at 78%. The vaccine protects against infections caused by diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.

Among respondents who said their vaccination views were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, 75.5% of adult respondents were up to date on their Tdap vaccination.

That could be because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get the Tdap booster every 10 years for adults, Toft said, rather than yearly like the flu. If vaccine hesitancy rises, Tdap vaccination rates could be impacted more slowly than more regularly recommended vaccines.

Hansen added that Tdap vaccinations are sometimes administered in response to injuries, such as cuts, to prevent tetanus. Also known as lockjaw, tetanus causes muscle contractions and can be life-threatening.

The most common reasons respondents gave for not receiving vaccinations included hearing contradictory information — from doctors, social media, news outlets, government agencies and others — and believing a vaccine isn’t safe or isn’t needed.

Concern about vaccine safety was the most common reason respondents gave for choosing not to vaccinate a child, followed by the belief that it wasn’t needed and the prevalence of conflicting information about vaccines.

Toft said fast-spreading misinformation on social media is influencing public opinion. So is U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s introduction of “fringe ideas” to inform policy changes, she said.

“It’s moved off of Facebook feeds and onto ‘CBS Mornings’,” Toft said, adding “the decisions seem more and more politicized, and that’ll only lead to more confusion.”

A

CDC vaccine committee

charged with setting national guidelines around vaccine policy voted on Friday to eliminate a 34-year-old recommendation that all newborn babies receive a hepatitis B vaccine. There was a 99% drop in serious infections among children between 1990 and 2019, which is

attributed

to the universal vaccination policy.

Recommendations

for adults and unvaccinated older children will remain unchanged.

The new recommendation mirrors COVID-19 guidelines changed by the same committee in September. The change at that time caused widespread confusion about the vaccine’s accessibility and if insurance companies would cover it.

(Courtesy of the South Dakota Department of Health

“I think it’ll be a while before we see the long-lasting implications of some of these decisions they’re making,” Toft said of the committee’s decisions.

The recommendations play a key role in determining which vaccines insurance companies are willing to cover and how accessible those immunizations are to the public.

South Dakota’s survey results indicate that most people place their trust in local professionals rather than national entities: 84% of respondents said their preferred source of health information is their doctor or health professional. About 95% said they “somewhat” or “to a great extent” trust their doctor or health professional with vaccine information — more than pharmacists, the state Department of Health, or the CDC. Social media and news outlets were the lowest trusted sources among respondents.

Hansen hopes health professionals take note and choose to broach immunization discussions more often with patients. Toft agreed that health professionals are the best point of contact for vaccine education.

“When we talk to vaccine-hesitant parents, we’re like, ‘Yes, ask questions. I’d love to help you. I’d love to connect you with a provider who can answer your questions,’” Toft said. “We want you to have access to information to make the best decision for you and your family.”

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 6, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 6 drawing

13-14-26-28-44, Powerball: 07, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 6 drawing

11-12-14-34-48, Lucky Ball: 13

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from Dec. 6 drawing

07-08-14-23-41, Star Ball: 09, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from Dec. 6 drawing

05-08-17-21-35

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

• Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
• Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
• Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Sophomore Keali’i Ah Yat passed for a career-high 360 yards, throwing three of his four touchdown passes during a 30-point run by Montana and the third-seeded Grizzlies rallied to beat South Dakota State 50-29 on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

Montana (12-1), which had a first-round bye, will host No. 11 seed South Dakota in the quarterfinals. The Coyotes beat No. 6 seed Mercer 47-0 at home to move on.

Chase Mason hit Grahm Goering at the 20-yard line and Goering raced the final 80 yards for a 95-yard South Dakota State score and a 7-0 lead. Ah Yat answered with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Stevie Rocker Jr, but the Grizzlies trailed 7-6 after a missed extra-point kick.

Mason picked up his own fumble and ran 5 yards for a score and a 14-6 lead after one quarter. It was all Montana from there.

Jo Silver kicked a short field goal, Eli Gillman had a 5-yard touchdown run, and Ah Yat had a 5-yard scoring toss to Rocker with 6 seconds left for a 22-14 lead at halftime.

Ah Yat hit Drew Deck for a 29-yard third-quarter touchdown and connected with with Michael Wortham for a 28-yard score and a 36-14 lead early in the fourth.

Ah Yat completed 29 of 37 passes for Montana. Gillman totaled 135 yards on 24 rushes and Wortham finished with eight catches for 113 yards. Gillman and Malae Fonoti had fourth-quarter touchdown runs.

Mason totaled 356 yards on 19-for-36 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions for the 14th-seeded Jackrabbits (9-5), who advanced with a 41-3 first-round victory over visiting New Hampshire.

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