State health data show the percentage of children completing the recommended immunization series before age 3 has fallen in 8 of 11 northeast Indiana counties in the last half-decade. Photo by Ed Us, Unsplash.

News Release

FORT WAYNE — Childhood vaccination rates are slipping across much of Indiana, raising concerns among pediatricians as the school year begins.

State health data show the percentage of children completing the recommended immunization series before age 3 has fallen in 8 of 11 northeast Indiana counties in the last half-decade. LaGrange County was down 18.6 percentage points to just 36% of children fully vaccinated, the sharpest drop. Kosciusko County’s reported rate was the region’s second-lowest at 56%, a nine-point decline since 2019.

Indiana’s overall on-time vaccination rate at 35 months dropped to 62% late last year, down 7.5 percentage points from five years earlier. National trends mirror those losses, with pediatric experts pointing to lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic on routine health care access and an increase in vaccine hesitancy.

Some counties, however, have seen improvements. Huntington and Wells each reported nearly eight-point gains, while Allen County posted a modest 0.1 percentage point increase. Huntington’s health department said closer partnerships with schools and improved communication with families helped boost local rates.

Indiana tracks seven required immunizations for children under 3: Haemophilus influenzae type b, polio, measles, mumps and rubella, varicella, hepatitis B, pneumococcal, and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

Falling vaccination rates have coincided with resurgences of preventable diseases. The United States reported more than 35,000 pertussis cases in 2024, five times the number from the year before and the second highest-ever total, the highest being in 1959. In July, measles cases climbed past 1,300 nationwide, the largest number since 1992. Federal data shows 92% of those patients had not been immunized.

Health experts warn that illnesses such as polio, meningitis, diphtheria and measles carry serious risks, including paralysis, brain damage and death. Pediatricians continue to stress that vaccines are both safe and effective, and encourage families to consult their doctors with questions about immunization.