Vaccination rates among school-aged children in Maine are above 97%, according to the latest annual report from the state Center for Disease Control. It's the second year in a row that Maine has achieved so-called "herd immunity."
Maine reached that threshold last year when an average rate hit above 95%. That's enough protection to make it difficult for an infection to spread among the larger population.
The vaccination rate for Maine children has been increasing ever since a law went into effect in 2021 that eliminated philosophical and religious exemptions for vaccines.
While this year's average vaccination rate of more than 97% is a record high, some counties consistently fall well below the average.
Piscataquis County has the lowest vaccination rate in the state, with just under 92% for most required immunizations, and less than 90% for the chickenpox vaccine.
