Pandemic Eroded Vaccine Trust, Raising Outbreak Risk

Multiple recent studies report declines in routine childhood and adolescent vaccination coverage in the U.S. (Michigan), Israel, the U.K., and parts of Europe including the Netherlands, raising the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. A Michigan Medicine analysis of 2017–2023 county immunization registry data found composite childhood and adolescent immunization completion rates fell, while HPV uptake rose but at a slowing pace, with sharper declines in lower-income and higher-uninsured counties. An international Bar‑Ilan University survey of 2,047 parents documented drops in MMR and DTP coverage after COVID‑19 (U.K. MMR 97.3%→93.6%; Israel 94.3%→91.6%), a decline in parental trust in vaccines, and an associated large measles resurgence in Israel. A global study spanning 149 countries and regional analyses linked vaccine hesitancy to weakening institutional trust and belief in misinformation, and researchers warned that recent Dutch declines are approaching or falling below herd-immunity thresholds. Researchers say that even modest (around 5–6%) shifts in parental behavior can trigger outbreaks and urge policies to rebuild trust, reduce access inequities, and counter misinformation to prevent further resurgence of preventable diseases.