When mandatory vaccination falters, measles returns. In 2024 alone, the United States saw 16 measles outbreaks, quadruple the amount from the previous year.
Hardly four months into 2025, 483 cases have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control, with five outbreaks across the U.S. accounting for 93% of confirmed cases.
Despite this, some Connecticut lawmakers are considering reinstating religious exemptions from school vaccination requirements. If this proposal succeeds, we risk undoing decades of work by researchers, physicians, nurses, and public health officials; relegating us to a time where children suffered and died from preventable disease.
For many people, measles feels like a disease of the past. It’s something they’ve never seen and therefore may not be aware of its potentially devastating outcomes. Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases in humans. Caused by a virus that spreads in the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, measles begins with a rash and fever, and can have serious complications including pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling, and death. There is no treatment for measles; vaccination is our best defense.
Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, measles was responsible for approximately 2.6 million deaths each year, primarily affecting children. According to the World Health Organization, over 60 million measles-related deaths have been prevented by herd immunity from 2000 to 2023.
When vaccination rates exceed 95%, herd immunity is established against measles. This means that enough people have been vaccinated against the disease to protect the entire community. This provides protection for vulnerable populations who can’t receive the vaccine like newborns and those with weakened immune systems, such as children undergoing chemotherapy. The safety and well-being of these children are dependent on the decision of those around them to get vaccinated. For them, herd immunity can be lifesaving.
On January 8, Republican Sen. Eric Berthel proposed a new act to reinstate religious exemptions from school vaccination requirements. The bill never made it out of committee and is dead. But Connecticut should not be complacent on this issue. Resuming religious exemptions would negate the high vaccination rates Connecticut has worked so hard to maintain and open the door to public health and safety risks.
Connecticut has done an exemplary job in protecting communities through high vaccination rates, thanks largely in part to legislation passed in 2021 which eliminated religious exemptions from childhood vaccination requirements for public and private schools, colleges, and daycare facilities.
This change came on April 28, 2021, five days after two cases of confirmed measles in Fairfield County. Following this legislation, MMR vaccine coverage in Connecticut rose from 97.3% in 2022-23 to 97.7% in 2023-24, well above the actively declining national average of 92.7%.
As expected, the elimination of religious exemptions was met with backlash from parents and groups alike, claiming infringement upon their religious freedom and First Amendment rights. While most of these claims have been dismissed in court, one remains under review. Connecticut’s Attorney General William Tong pledged to “aggressively defend the state’s necessary and lawful actions to protect public health,” regarding this final claim.
Exemption rates are increasing across the U.S., with 280,000, or 3.3% of kindergarteners being exempt from one or more vaccines. According to the CDC, vaccine coverage for measles is as low as 79.6% in states that allow religious exemption, far below the 95% necessary for herd immunity.
Parents who claim religious exemptions for vaccines not only endanger their own children by leaving them vulnerable to preventable diseases like measles but also put medically fragile children –who cannot be vaccinated for legitimate health reasons– at serious risk. By undermining herd immunity, these exemptions prioritize personal belief over public safety, forcing parents of vulnerable children to choose between their child’s education and well-being. High vaccination rates ensure equitable access to education for children who cannot be vaccinated.
Outbreaks carry a heavy cost. An analysis of 11 measles outbreaks in the U.S. between 2004 and 2017 cost on average $152,000 per outbreak and roughly $33,000 per case. This strains public health departments and forces them to divert funds from other initiatives to control measles outbreaks. Additionally, outbreaks increase healthcare costs and negatively impact the workforce by forcing parents of ill children to take time off.
High vaccination rates have kept millions of people safe from preventable diseases for decades, and the state of Connecticut has a duty to keep children safe. Reinstating religious exemptions would unnecessarily endanger vulnerable children, limiting their access to safe education. Outbreaks may reduce the quality of public health protection, and have proven costly to families, communities, and state budgets.
Maintaining the prohibition of the religious exemption protects not only the child next door, but also every vulnerable child dependent on herd immunity. Lawmakers should be urged to prioritize public health in their decision-making. By standing firm on current vaccination policies, we safeguard our classrooms, our communities, and our future.
Helena Weisskopf is a critical care nurse and a Family Nurse Practitioner student at Fairfield University.