Michigan Found a Way To Reduce School Vaccine Waivers. Until It Backfired.

The state had high rates of parents not vaccinating their children, so it started making them attend vaccine education sessions to opt out their kids. It seemed to work. Then things got ugly.

By: Kate Wells

Outlets: KFF Health News

Published: June 3, 2026

Words: 1,852

Last Updated: 1 week, 1 day ago

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PORT HURON, Mich. — State health officials urged parents in several counties to vaccinate babies against measles ahead of schedule this spring as cases multiplied in Michigan. The outbreaks of the highly contagious virus — which can lead to brain swelling, deafness, and death — came as parents are opting school-age kids out of vaccinations at a record-high rate.

It’s a situation state officials have spent more than a decade trying to avoid. For years, …

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