Connecticut lawmakers called for the state Department of Public Health to release the most recent data on school vaccination rates, according to The Connecticut Mirror.
The calls came on Aug. 26, months after legislators said in May they were expecting to see data on the percentage of students at each school receiving religious exemptions to vaccines. A lawsuit filed later that month halted the data's release, however. The case is still pending.
"If the number of people claiming religious exemptions is higher than the previous school year, DPH would be negligent not to release that information," said House Majority Leader Matthew Ritter on Monday.
The department released school-by-school immunization data for the first time last spring. The figures revealed there were 102 schools where less than 95 percent of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella in the 2017-18 school year.
"In Connecticut, we have only had three measles cases so far in 2019 and the last case was in April," said Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health Renee Coleman-Mitchell in an emailed statement to Becker's. "Given that we have not had any further measles cases since April and because the immunization rate for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines in Connecticut remain above 95 percent statewide, we will not be releasing immunization rates by school for the 2018-19 school year at this time. The Department of Public Health will be releasing county level immunization data in October, as pursuant to standard protocol."