UCo Health sees disturbing trend in vaccination rates
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, June 10th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA COUNTY – Large school districts in Oregon are showing that more parents are seeking non-medical exemptions to required vaccinations for their children. That leads to a concern that there could be an outbreak of illnesses that have vaccines available.
Umatilla County Public Health Director Joe Fiumara said that the K-12 vaccination rates in the county remain stable at 94.7 percent. What worries him are vaccination rates among younger children
“We have seen a more significant decline in our childcare facilities where the rate has dropped to 90.5 percent,” he said. “This trend appears to be driven by a rise in non-medical exemptions. We believe this shift is largely influenced by a broader environment of public confusion and the rapid spread of misinformation online, which continues to complicate the guidance coming from historically trusted health sources.”
The Oregon Health Authority reported recently that more than a third of Oregon schools are now at risk of a measles outbreak as vaccination rates drop to record lows. For the school year that just ended, there was a 10.9 percent rate of nonmedical exemptions for kindergarten students, with the steepest decline happening over the last four years.
“If these trends persist, I am concerned that Umatilla County may become more susceptible to the types of vaccine-preventable outbreaks currently being seen in other parts of the state,” Fiumara said.
