Median pertussis vaccination coverage in the United States was 95.1% among children in kindergarten for the 2012-2013 school year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The state with the highest rate of coverage was Mississippi (99.9%), followed by Maryland (99.4%), Virginia (98.5%), New York (98.4%), and Louisiana (98.3%). Arkansas and Colorado had the lowest rate of pertussis vaccination, at 82.9%, with Idaho next at 88.3%, Kansas at 88.9%, and North Dakota at 89.0%, the CDC said (MMWR 2013;62:607-12).
Estimates were not provided for Alaska and New Hampshire because they report vaccination and exemption levels together. Pennsylvania does not require pertussis vaccination for kindergartners. The CDC report did not include data on homeschooled students.
